



m> fflBBSm am 

WBm 

Hi SSai 



ifclt 



•U> 




HP Hi B tfO BB OT 



A* ,- N 



</>. 






£ . 



^ - 



■/■ 






' J J- V 









# 



*,\ 





\- <$> 



.\ 















^,#' 



















A X 



^ ^ 







'*« <& 





'< 






^'\ 






%■ ^ 



V. 



y~ x 

o o N 




> 



<* 





%& - 








•» , ^ 


'/ , 


s '\ O 




v\\ V 1 8 V- 








A *f> 












a 



«V 



*% 










& 



V ^ 













W 






a i \ 







1 * - x^ ^ * 8 I A 







MATERIA MEDIOA. 



MATERIA MEDICA, 



FOR 



THE USE OF STUDENTS. 



BY 



JOHN B. BIDDLE, M.D., 

PROFESSOR OF MATERIA MEDICA AND GENERAL THERAPEUTICS IN THE JEFFERSON MEDICAL 

COLLEGE, MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, FELLOW OF THE 

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, ETC., ETC. 









WITH II.IiTTSTrR.A.TIOrESrS. 







PHILADELPHIA: 

LINDSAY & BLAKISTON. 

1865. 



-tt N^ 



« 







Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, 

• BY LINDSAY & BLAKISTON, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern 
District of Pennsylvania. 



tfcs- 



8HERMAN & CO., PRINTERS. 












% ' 









•"".;■• 




\ 



P R E FAC E. 



A second edition of the author's Revieiv of Materia 
Medica having been called for, he has revised and 
enlarged it, and adapted it to the last edition of the 
U. S. Pharmacopoeia. Numerous additions have been 
made to the list of articles treated of, and the work 
has been remodelled and, in many parts, rewritten. 
Although not designed to take the place of the more 
voluminous and systematic treatises upon the sub- 
ject, it is believed that it will be found to contain a 
succinct account of all the articles of the Materia 
Medica in use in this country, and to furnish a suit- 
able text-book to the courses of lectures delivered 
upon the branch. It is illustrated by representations 
of most of the important indigenous and naturalized 
plants. 

The author begs leave respectfully to renew his 
dedication of the work to the gentlemen in attend- 
ance upon the various medical schools in the United 
States. 

Philadelphia, October, 1865. 



CONTENTS. 



Kemedies— Definition of, 
Division of, 



PAGE 

17 
17 



PAET I. 

MECHANICAL REMEDIES. 



General Bloodletting, 

Leeches and Cups, 

Setons and Issues, 

Bandages, Frictions, Acupuncture, 



17 

18 
19 
19 



i 



PAKT II. 

IMPONDERABLE EEMEDIES. 



Light, . 
Heat, . 
Cold, . 
Electricity, 



20 
20 
21 

22 



PAKT III. 



PHARMACOLOGICAL REMEDIES, OR MEDICINES. 



Medicines — Definition of, 

Modus Operandi of, . . 

Circumstances which modify the Effects of, 

Forms in which they are used, 

Weights and Measures, .... 

Effect of Age, Sex, Temperament, Idiosyncrasy, Habit 

&c, upon, . . ' . . . 

Parts to which Medicines are applied, . 
Classification of Medicines, .... 



23 
24 
26 
26 
34 

35 

36 
39 



Vlll 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Class I. — Neurotics, 40 

Order I. Narcotics, 40 

Opium, ^ 40 

Lactucarium, . 47 

Belladonna, 48 

Stramonium, ........ 51 

Hyoscyamus (Henbane), 52 

Tabacum (Tobacco), ....... 54 

Lobelia, 56 

Conium (Hemlock), 58 

Aconitum (Aconite), 60 

Extractum Cannabis (Extract of Hemp), ... 61 

Humulus (Hops), 62 

Dulcamara (Bittersweet), 64 

Acidum Hydroc3 T anicum (Hydrocyanic Acid), . . 64 
Potassii Cyanidum (Cyanide of Potassium), . .66 

Oleum Amygdalae Amarse (Oil of Bitter Almond), . 66 

Camphora (Campbor), 67 

Order II. Etbereal Anaesthetics, 70 

^Etber (Ether), 70 

Chloroformum (Chloroform), ..... 73 

Order III. Antispasmodics, 76 

Assafoetida (Assafetida), 76 

G-albanum, . . .78 

Ammoniacum (Ammoniac), 78 

Valeriana (Valerian), 79 

Cypripedium, ........ 80 

Scutellaria (Skullcap), 80 

Dracontium (Skunk-Cabbage), ..... 80 

Moschus (Musk), 81 

Castor eum (Castor), 82 

Oleum Succini (Oil of Amber), 82 

Oleum JEthereum (Ethereal Oil), .... 83 
Spiritus ^Etheris Compositus (Compound Spirit of 
Ether), 

Order IV. Tonics, . 

Vegetable Tonics, .* 

Simple Bitters, 
Quassia, 
Simaruba, 

Coptis (Goldthread), 
Gentiana (Gentian), 
Frasera (American Columbo), 
Sabbatia (American Centaury), 
Calumba (Columbo), 



CONTENTS. 



IX 



n 



Cliiretta, 

Xanthorriza (Yellow-Koot), 
Aromatic Bitters, . . 

Serpentaria (Virginia Snakeroot), 

Anthemis (Chamomile), 

Cotula (Mayweed), 

Matricaria (German Chamomile), 

Eupatorium (Thorough wort), 

Absinthium ("Wormwood), . 

Magnolia, 

Liriodendron (Tulip-Tree Bark), 

Angustura (Angustura Bark), 

Cascarilla, 

Canella, 

Achillea (Yarrow), 

Angelica, 
Astringent Bitters, 

Cinchona (Peruvian Bark), . 

Cornus- Florida (Dogwood), . 

Salix (Willow), . 

Prunus Virginiana (Wild Cherry Bar] 

Nectandra, . 
Mineral Tonics, . 

Ferri Prseparata (Preparations of Iron), 

Cupri Prseparata (Preparations of Copper), 

Zinci Praeparata (Preparations of Zinc), 

Argenti Praeparata (Preparations of Silver), 

Bismuthi Subnitras (Subnitrate of Bismuth), 

Cadmii Sulphas (Sulphate of Cadmium), 

Acida Mineralia (Mineral Acids), 

Order V. Astringents, 

Vegetable Astringents, 

Acidum Tannicum (Tannic Acid), 

Acidum Gallicum (Gallic Acid), . 

Galla (Nutgall), .... 

Catechu, 

Kino, 

Krameria (Rhatany), . 

Haematoxylon (Logwood), . 

Quercus Alba (White Oak Bark), 

Quercus Tinctoria (Black Oak Bark), 

Geranium (Cranesbill), 

Uva Ursi, ..... 

Chimaphila (Pipsissewa), 

Granati Fructus Cortex (Pomegranate Kind), 

Kosa Gallica (Red Rose), .... 



PAGE 

91 

91 

92 

92 

93 

94 

94 

94 

96 

96 

96 

97 

97 

98 

98 

99 

99 

99 

107 

108 

108 

109 

110 

110 

117 

121 

121 

122 

123 

123 

126 

127 

127 

128 

128 

129 

130 

131 

132 

133 

133 

133 

135 

136 

138 

138 



CONTENTS. 



Eosa Centifolia (Pale Eose), 

Diospyros (Persimmon), 

Tormentilla (Tormentil), 

Eubus (Blackberry Eoot), . 

Heuchera (Alum-Eoot), 

Creasotum (Creasote), . 
Mineral Astringents, . 

Plumbi Prseparata (Preparations of Lead), 

Alumen (Alum), 
Order VI. Stimulants, 
Diffusible Stimulants, 

Alcohol, 

Vinum (Wine), 

Spiritus Vini G-allici (Brandy), 

Ammonise Prseparata (Preparations of Ammonia), 
Aromatics, 

Capsicum (Cayenne Pepper), 

Piper (Black Pepper), . 

Cinnamomum (Cinnamon), 

Myristica (Nutmeg), . 

Macis (Mace), 

Caryophyllus (Cloves), 

Pimenta (Pimento), 

Oleum Cajuputi (Cajeput Oil), 

Oleum Terebinthinse (Oil of Turpentine), 

Zingiber (Ginger), .... 

Cardamomum (Cardamom), . 

Calamus (Sweet Mag), .... 

Gaultberia (Partridge-Berry), 

Aurantii Cortex (Orange Peel), . 

Arnica, ....... 

Those belonging to Nat. Ord. Lamiaceae, 

Those belonging to Nat. Ord. Apiacese, 
Order VII. Sedatives, 

Digitalis (Foxglove), .... 

Veratrum Viride (American Hellebore), 

Veratrum Album (White Hellebore), . 

Gelsemium (Yellow Jasmine), 

Antimonii Prseparata (Preparations of Antimony), 
Eefrigerants, ..... 

Potassae Nitras (Nitrate of Potassa), 

Sodae Boras (Borate of Soda), 

Potassae Citras (Citrate of Potassa), 

Liquor Ammonise Acetatis (Solution of Acetate 
Ammonia), ....... 



of 



PAQE 

138 
139 
139 
139 
139 
140 
141 
141 
145 
146 
147 
147 
149 
149 
150 
152 
152 
153 
154 
155 
155 
156 
157 
157 
158 
158 
159 
160 
161 
162 
162 
163 
164 
165 
165 
167 
168 
169 
169 
173 
173 
174 
175 

176 



CONTENTS. XI 

PAGE 

Spiritus JEtheris Nitrosi (Spirit of Nitrous Ether), . 176 

Acida Vegetabilia (Vegetable Acids), .... 176 

Order VIII. Spastics, 178 

Nux Vomica, 178 

Ignatia, 180 

Toxicodendron (Poison Oak), 181 

Ergota (Ergot), 181 

Gossypii Eadix (Cotton Eoot), 183 

Class II. — Eccritics, 183 

Order I. Emetics, 183 

Vegetable Emetics, 185 

Ipecacuanha, 185 

Sanguinaria (Bloodroot), 186 

Euphorbia Corollata (Large Flowering Spurge), . 188 

Euphorbia Ipecacuanha (Ipecacuanha Spurge), . . 188 
Gillenia, ... . . . . . . .189 

Sinapis (Mustard), . . . . . . .189 

Mineral Emetics, 190 

Order II. Cathartics, . . .190 

Laxatives, 192 

Manna, 192 

Cassia Fistula (Purging Cassia), 193 

Oleum Olivse (Olive Oil), 193 

Oleum Amygdalae Dulcis (Oil of Sweet Almond), . 193 

Oleum Kicini (Castor Oil), 194 

Sulphur, 195 

Saline Cathartics, 196 

Magnesia, 196 

Magnesias Carbonas (Carbonate of Magnesia), . . 197 

Magnesise Sulphas (Sulphate of Magnesia), . . 197 
Liquor Magnesise Citratis (Solution of Citrate of 

Magnesia), 198 

Sodae Sulphas (Sulphate of Soda), .... 198 
Manganesii Sulphas (Sulphate of Manganese), . .199 

Sodse Phosphas (Phosphate of Soda), . . . . 199 

Potassae Sulphas (Sulphate of Potassa), . . . 200 

Potassae Bitartras (Bitartrate of Potassa), . . . 200 

Potassae Tartras (Tartrate of Potassa), . . . 201 
Potassae et Sodae Tartras (Tartrate of Potassa and 

Soda), 201 

Mild Acrid Cathartics, 202 

Eheum (Ehubarb), 202 

Aloe (Aloes), 205 

Leptandra, 207 

Senna, 207 

Cassia Marilandica (American Senna), . . . 209 



Xll CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Drastic Cathartics, 210 

Jalapa (Jalap), 210 

Podophyllum (May Apple), . .. . . .211 

Scammonium (Scammony), 212 

Helleborus Niger (Black Hellebore), .... 213 

Colocynthis (Colocynth), 213 

Gambogia (Gamboge), 214 

Elaterium, 215 

Oleum Tiglii (Croton Oil), 215 

Mercurial Cathartics, 217 

Enemata, . 218 

Order III. Diaphoretics, 218 

Alterative Diaphoretics, 220 

Sarsaparilla, . . . . . . . . 220 

Aralia Nudicaulis (False Sarsaparilla), . . . 222 
Guaiaci Lignum et Eesina (Guaiacum Wood and 

Guaiac), 222 

Mezereum (Mezereon), . . . . . . 223 

Sassafras, 224 

Order IV. Diuretics, 224 

Scilla (Squill), . 226 

Colchicum, ......... 228 

Erigeron (Fleabane), . . ... . . . 230 

Apocynum Cannabinum (Indian Hemp), . . . 231 

Taraxacum (Dandelion), ...... 232 

Juniperus (Juniper), 233 

Carota (Carrot Seed), ... i ... 233 

Cantharis (Cantharides), 234 

Order V. Blennorrhetics, 235 

Senega (Seneka), 236 

Cimicifuga (Black Snakeroot), 238 

Allium (Garlic), 239 

Scilla (Squill), . . . . '. . . ■ . 240 

Terebinthina (Turpentine), 240 

Copaiba, . 244 

Cubeba (Cubeb), 245 

Matico, 247 

Pareira (Pareira Brava), 247 

Buchu, . 248 

Myrrha (Myrrh), 248 

Benzoinum (Benzoin), ...... 249 

Balsamum Peruvianum (Balsam of Peru), . . . 251 

Balsamum Tolutanum (Balsam of Tolu), . . . 251 

Order VI. Emmenagogues, . . " 252 

Sabina (Savine), 253 



CONTENTS. Xlll 

PAGE 

Kuta (Eue), 254 

Rubia (Madder), 254 

Class III. — ILematics, 254 

Order I. Haematinics, 254 

Order II. Alteratives, 255 

Hydrargyri Praeparata (Preparations of Mercury), . 256 

Iodinium (Iodine), . 271 

Potassii Iodidum (Iodide of Mercury), . . . 273 

Brominium (Bromine), ...... 274 

Oleum Morrhuae (Cod-liver Oil), .... 275 

Arsenici Praeparata (Preparations of Arsenic), . . 278 
Calcis Phosphas Praecipitata (Precipitated Phosphate 

of Lime), 282 

Ammoniae Murias (Muriate of Ammonia), . . . 283 

Potassae Chloras (Chlorate of Potassa), . . . 283 

Potassae Bichromas (Bichromate of Potassa), . . 284 

Potassae Permanganas (Permanganate of Potassa), . 285 

Calx Chlorinata (Chlorinated Lime), .... 286 
Liquor Sodae Chlorinatae (Solution of Chlorinated Soda), 286 

Order III. Antacids, 286 

Potassae Praeparata (Preparations of Potassa), . . 288 
Sodae Praeparata (Preparations of Soda), . . . 290 
Lithiae Praeparata (Preparations of Litnia), . . 292 
Ammoniae Praeparata (Preparations of Ammonia), . 293 
Magnesiae et Calcis Praeparata (Preparations of Mag- 
nesia and Lime), . . 293 

Class TV. — Topical Medicines, 295 

Order I. Irritants, 295 

Rubefacients, . 295 

Sinapis (Mustard), 296 

Capsicum (Cayenne Pepper), 298 

Oleum Terebinthinae (Oil of Turpentine), . . . 298 

Linimentum Ammoniae (Liniment of Ammonia), . 299 

Pix Burgundica (Burgundy Pitch), .... 299 

Pix Canadensis (Canada Pitch), 300 

Epispastics, . . 301 

Cantharis (Cantharides), 302 

Cantharis Vittata (Potato Flies), . . . .306 

Aqua Ammoniae ("Water of Ammonia), . . . 306 

Suppurants, 306 

Oleum Tiglii (Croton Oil), ...... 306 

Unguentum Antimonii (Antimonial Ointment), . 307 

Escharotics, 307 

Argenti Nitras (Nitrate of Silver), .... 308 

Potassa, '308 



XIV 



CONTENTS. 



Potassa cum Calce (Potassa with Lime), 

Acidum Chromicum (Chromic Acid), 

Acidum Arseniosum (Arsenious Acid), 

Zinci Chloridum (Chloride of Zinc), . 

Liquor Hydrargyri Nitratis (Solution of Nitrate of 
Mercury), 

Hydrargyri Chloridum Corrosivum (Corrosive Chlo- 
ride of Mercury), 

Potassse Bichromas (Bichromate of Potassa), 

Acida Mineralia (Mineral Acids), 
Order II. Demulcents, 

Acacia (Gum Arabic), 

Tragacantha (Tragacanth), . 

Linum (Flaxseed), 

Ulmus (Slippery Elm Bark), 

Sassafras Medulla (Sassafras Pith), 

Althaea (Marshmallow), 

Sesami Folium (Benne Leaf), 

Glycyrrhiza (Liquorice Boot), 

Extractum Glycyrrhizse (Liquorice), 

Cetraria (Iceland Moss), 

Chondrus (Irish Moss), 

Maranta (Arrow-Koot), 

Canna, .... 

Tapioca, 

Sago, .... 

Hordeum (Barley), 

Avena Earinae (Oatmeal), 

Oryza (Kice), 

Salep, . 

Amylum (Starch), 

G-elatina (Gelatin), 

Adeps (Lard), 

Sevum (Suet), 

Cetaceum (Spermaceti), 

Cera (Wax), 

Oleum Theobromse (Oil of Theobroma), 

Glycerina (Glycerin), . 

Collodium (Collodion), 

Liquor Guttse Perchse (Solution 

Eermentum (Yeast), . 

Mel (Honey), 
Order III. Anthelmintics, 

Spigelia (Pinkroot), 
Chenopodium (Wormseed), 



of Gutta Percha) 



PAGE 

309 
309 
310 
310 

310 

310 
311 
311 
311 
313 
315 
315 
316 
317 
317 
318 
319 
319 
320 
321 
321 
-323 
323 
323 
324 
325 
325 
326 
326 
326 
327 
327 
327 
327 
327 
328 
329 
329 
329 
329 
330 
331 
333 



CONTENTS. XV 

PAGE 

Santonica, 334 

Azedarach, 334 

Mucuna (Cowhage), \ 335 

Filix Mas (Male Fern), 335 

Granati Kadicis Cortex (Bark of the Pomegranate 

Root), 336 

Oleum Terebinthinse (Oil of Turpentine), . . . 336 

Calomel, 336 

Brayera (Koosso), ....... 336 

Bottlera (Kameela), , 337 

Pepo (Pumpkin Seed), 337 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



The agents employed in the treatment of diseases are 
denominated Remedies, and the branch of medicine which 
is devoted to their consideration is termed Mateeia Me- 
dica. Remedies may he divided into Hygienic, Mechanical, 
Imponderable, and Pharmacological agents. 

Hygienic Remedies are usually treated of in works spe- 
cially devoted to the subject. 



PART I. 

MECHANICAL REMEDIES. 

Mechanical Remedies belong chiefly to Surgery. A 
few agents of this class are, however, employed in the 
practice of medicine, and are included in the Materia Me- 
dica. They are bloodletting (general and local), setons, issues, 
bandages, friction, and acupuncture. 

1. General Bloodletting is performed principally by 
venesection or phlebotomy, which is usually practised on the 
median- cephalic or basilic veins of the arm — sometimes 
also on the external jugular and other veins. Arteriotomy 
is occasionally resorted to, on the temporal artery, in ce- 
rebral affections. 

2 



18 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Bloodletting is employed, to moderate vascular excite- 
ment, reduce inflammatory action, relieve congestion, allay 
spasm and pain, relax the muscular system, promote ab- 
sorption, and arrest hemorrhage ; and for these purposes 
it is our most available therapeutical resource. So power- 
ful and exhausting an agent is, however, always to be 
resorted to with caution and discrimination ; is not to be 
unduly repeated, even in inflammatory cases ; and is sel- 
dom or never proper in diseases of a typhoid tendency, or 
where a tubercular diathesis is suspected, or in extreme 
infancy and old age. 

2. The Local Abstraction of Blood is practised by 
means of leeches and cups. The leech (hirudo) is an aquatic 
worm, common throughout Europe, America, and India. 
The European leech (h. medicinalis), is of a blackish or 
grayish green color on the back, from two to three or four 
inches in length, and is characterized by six longitudinal 
dorsal ferruginous stripes, the four lateral ones being 
interrupted or tessellated with black spots. The Ameri- 
can leech (h. decora), is usually from two to three inches 
long, and is of a deep green color, with three longitudinal 
dorsal rows of square spots. Both the imported and indi- 
genous leech are employed in this country, but the latter 
makes a smaller incision, and is preferable in infantile 
cases. When the discharge of blood from leech-bites is 
excessive, it may be arrested by pressure, by compresses 
of lint, the application of alum, creasote, solution of sub- 
sulphate of iron, and other styptics, or by touching the 
wounds with nitrate of silver ; and if these means fail, 
the wounds may be sewed. 

In the operation of cupping, cupping-glasses and a scari- 
ficator are employed. The removal of atmospheric pres- 
sure, by the application of glasses partially exhausted of 
air, produces a determination of blood to the capillaries of 
a part, and it is afterwards readily drawn by scarification. 
When blood is not abstracted, the operation is termed dry 



MECHANICAL REMEDIES. 19 

cupping, and is a valuable revulsive agent. The topical ab- 
straction of blood by leeches and cut cups combines the 
advantages of depletion and revulsion. Leeches are em- 
ployed in external inflammations, in situations where cups 
are inadmissible, and in infantile cases. Cups are gener- 
ally preferable in internal inflammations, from their more 
decided revulsive influence. When blood is drawn by 
leeches, its continued flow may be promoted by the appli- 
cation of warm fomentations to the wounds. 

3. Setons (Setacea) and Issues (Fonticuli), are employed 
when a permanent counter-irritant effect is desired. A 
seton is established by passing through the integument a 
seton-needle, armed with a skein of silk; or, a piece of tape, 
or a strip of sheet lead may be used for the purpose. An 
issue is made with a cauterant, usually potassa ; and after 
the slough has separated, a discharge is maintained by the 
introduction of an issue-pea, for which purpose a common 
dried pea is used, or a dried unripe Curac,oa orange. 

4. Bandages are employed, in the practice of medicine, 
to promote the absorption of dropsical effusions. For the 
same purpose, strips of adhesive plaster may be applied to 
the chest, in chronic pleurisy and empyema, as in the treat- 
ment of fractured ribs. 

5. Frictions are useful as revellents, and as local stimu- 
lants. They may be employed either with the dry hand, 
or with horse-hair gloves, or with liniments. 

6. Acupuncture consists in the introduction into the 
body of fine, well-polished, sharp-pointed needles. It is a 
useful remedy in rheumatism, neuralgia, local paralysis, 
&c, and is sometimes conjoined with electricity, when the 
operation is known as Electro-puncture. 



20 MATERIA MEDICA. 



PAET II. 

IMPONDERABLE REMEDIES. 

Under this head are included Light, Heat, Cold, and Elec- 
tricity. 

1. Light {Lux), exercises an important influence in the 
organized world as a vivifying stimulus. It is useful as a 
therapeutic agent, in diseases dependent on imperfect nu- 
trition and sanguification ; and the exposure of the surface 
of the body to its action, as far as nudity is compatible with 
proper warmth, promotes the regular development and 
strength of the organs. On the other hand, in many dis- 
eases the stimulus of light is injurious, and darkness is re- 
sorted to as a sedative and tranquillizing agent. 

2. Heat [Color), applied to the human system in mode- 
rate amount, acts, both locally and generally, as an excitant; 
in intense degree, it destroys vitality and organization. It 
is employed as a local excitant and revulsive, by means of 
hot bottles, hot bricks, the hot foot-bath, &c, and as an ap- 
plication to painful and inflamed parts, in the form of 
poultices and fomentations. As a general application, heat 
is chiefly resorted to in the form of the water-bath and va- 
por-bath. The warm bath, at a temperature from 92° to 
98° F., is used as a relaxant in dislocations, hernise, spasm, 
infantile convulsions, croup, &c, and also for its action on 
the skin in rheumatic and chronic cutaneous affections. 
The hot bath has a temperature of from 98° to 112°, and is 
a powerful excitant in cases of exhaustion, asphyxia, or suf- 
focation, and is employed also in old paralytic and rheu- 
matic cases. The hot air-bath, at a temperature of from 98° 



IMPONDERABLE REMEDIES. 21 

to 130°, is useful as an excitant and revellent, and is em- 
ployed in cases of internal congestion, and in rheumatic, 
neuralgic, and cutaneous affections. The hot vapor-bath is 
adapted to the same class of cases as the hot air-bath, and 
exerts also a diaphoretic and relaxing influence. 

The destructive agency of heat is resorted to for the pur- 
pose of vesication, as by the application to the skin of a 
metallic plate heated to 212° by immersion in boiling water; 
and of cauterization, by the employment of redhot iron, or 
of moxa. Hot iron (known as the actual cautery), is used 
chiefly as a styptic. The term moxa is applied to small 
masses of combustible matter, which are burnt slowly in 
contact with the skin, with a view to a revulsive effect in 
deep-seated inflammations, nervous affections, &c. 

3. Cold (Frigus). — The application of cold to living 
bodies produces a diminution of vital activity, attended by 
reduction of the temperature and volume of the part, with 
contraction of the bloodvessels and other tissues, and sus- 
pension of the secretions and exhalations. The application 
of excessive or prolonged cold is followed by the torpor 
and death of the part. When it is applied in moderation 
and for a short period, reaction generally takes place, with 
a return and even increase of temperature, volume, color, 
and sensibility. 

Cold is employed therapeutically, with a view to both its 
primary and secondary effects. The primary action of cold 
is depressing and sedative. As a sedative agent, it is used, 
1. To lessen vascular and nervous excitement and preter- 
natural heat, as by the use of cold lotions and spongings in 
fevers, the ice-cap in cerebral affections, the shower-bath 
in insanity, the bladder filled with ice to the spine in epi- 
lepsy, &c. 2. To constringe the tissues, promote the 
coagulation of the blood, and lessen the volume of parts ; 
hence the local application of ice or cold water to abate in- 
flammation, check hemorrhage, cure aneurism, and reduce 
strangulated hernise. 3. To produce local anaesthesia in 



22 MATERIA MEDICA. 

surgical operations, by means of a freezing mixture topi- 
cally applied. 

The secondary effects of cold are the reverse of the pri- 
mary effects, and are obtained by the employment of a less 
intense degree of cold. They are resorted to, 1. To invig- 
orate the system, as with the cold shower-bath and plunge- 
bath. 2. To rouse the system, as by cold affusions in coma 
and asphyxia. 3. To recall the vital properties to frost- 
bitten parts. 4. To effect local excitation, as by the 
application of the cold douche to rheumatic and paralyzed 
limbs. 

Cold liquids and ice are taken into the stomach as refrige- 
rants in fevers. They are introduced into the rectum and 
vagina, to check hemorrhage and allay irritation ; and cold 
water, injected into the impregnated uterus, is among the 
most certain means of inducing premature delivery. 

4. Electricity (Mectricitas). — The electric current acts 
as an excitant to the nerves both of sensation and motion. 
It influences to some extent, also, the secretions, through 
its action on the nerves distributed to the secreting organs ; 
and it affects the circulation, by inducing contractions of 
the heart. A powerful charge of electricity produces 
violent and frequently fatal effects on the central nervous 
system. 

The various forms of electricity are resorted to for their 
stimulant effect in a number of nervous affections. It is 
chiefly used in cases of local and functional paralysis, which 
are independent of lesion of the nervous centres. It has 
also been employed with occasional good effect in amauro- 
sis, nervous deafness, neuralgia, photophobia, chronic rheu- 
matism, chorea, hysteria, and other neuroses, and to excite 
uterine contractions. From its influence on the secretions, 
it has been prescribed as an emmenagogue, to overcome 
constipation, to promote the biliary secretion, and to heal 
ulcers. In the form of electro-magnetism, it is a powerful 
excitant in the coma resulting from narcotic poisons, and 



PHARMACOLOGICAL REMEDIES. 23 

in asphyxia generally, and is probably the most active 
remedy that can be exhibited in these cases. 

For medicinal purposes, electricity is obtained from three 
sources : 

1. Friction, as in the common electrical machine. 

2. Chemical action, as in the voltaic battery. 

3. Magnetism, either of temporary magnets, as in the coil 
machines, or of permanent magnets, as in the electro- 
magnetic machines. 



PART III. 
PHARMACOLOGICAL REMEDIES. 

Pharmacological Remedies, or Medicines, are sub- 
stances, not essentially alimentary, which, when applied to 
the body, so alter or modify its vital functions, as to be 
rendered applicable to the treatment of diseases. 

The term Materia Medica is, strictly speaking, limited to 
that portion of Therapeutics devoted to the consideration 
of medicines. Pharmacy is the department of Materia 
Medica which treats of the collection, preparation, preser- 
vation, and dispensation of medicines. 

To the student of medicine, the objects of examination 
in relation to medicines are, — the sources from which they 
are derived; the mode in which they are prepared and 
brought to market ; their sensible qualities, and also their 
chemical composition and relations ; their physiological 
effects, or the effects which they are capable of producing 
in healthy individuals ; their therapeutical effects, or those 
which they produce in morbid states of the system ; and 
lastly, the doses, modes of administration, and preparations 



24 * MATERIA MEDICA. 

(extemporaneous and officinal), under which they are ad- 
ministered. 

The effects of medicines take place either in the parts to 
which they are applied, or in distant parts of the system. 
The former are termed local or topical effects ; the latter, re- 
mote or constitutional effects. 

MODUS OPERANDI OF MEDICINES. 

The medium through which the influence of medicines 
is exerted on remote parts of the body, or their modus 
operandi (as it is usually termed), was long a contested point. 
Until within a comparatively recent period, it was main- 
tained that medicines and poisons transmitted their impres- 
sions from the parts receiving them to distant parts, by 
means of a communication through the nerves. But it is now 
generally admitted, that the absorption or passage of the 
medicinal or poisonous molecules into the blood is neces- 
sary to their action on parts remote from the seat of im- 
pression. 

While, however, it is well established, that the character- 
istic action of medicines is transmitted to the parts influ- 
enced, exclusively through the medium of the circulation, 
it is undeniable that the functions of the nervous system 
may be secondarily excited by a local medicinal impression. 
The number of agents which operate in this manner is, 
however, very limited. 

The action of medicines by absorption is proved by a va- 
riety of facts. 

They are detected in many parts of the system, remote 
from that to which they have been applied, having been 
found in the blood, the solids, and the excretions, after being 
taken into the stomach. If the circulation be interrupted, 
the influence of a poison cannot be transmitted ; while its 
effects have been obtained, when applied to a wound in the 
foot of an animal, after all parts of the extremity have been 
severed, except the artery and vein. In confirmation of 



MODUS OPERANDI OF MEDICINES. 25 

the doctrine of absorption, may be cited also the admitted 
facts, that the remote effects of medicines or poisons are 
promoted or retarded by circnmstances which promote or 
retard absorption; that the blood of poisoned animals is 
found to possess poisonous properties ; that the fluids and 
solids acquire medicinal properties after the use of medi- 
cines (as the milk of nurses) ; that the specific effects of 
medicines are produced by their injection into the blood ; 
and that medicines disappear from closed cavities into 
which they are introduced. 

After their absorption into the blood, medicines circulate 
with it, penetrate through the capillaries to the various or- 
gans, and are afterwards thrown out of the system with the 
excretions. Some medicines produce changes in the con- 
dition of the circulating fluid. Others have a specific action 
upon some one or other of the organs of the body. And 
in passing out of the system, most medicines act as stimu- 
lants to the organs by which they are thrown out. 

The absorption of medicines is effected principally by the 
veins, and in some degree also by the lymphatics and lac- 
teals. The medicinal particles penetrate or soak through 
the interstices of the tissue with which they are placed in 
contact, and are thence diffused through the circulation. To 
a limited extent, medicinal substances probably penetrate 
all the tissues of the part to which they are applied, and in 
this way the activity of medicines is most decided upon the 
organs contiguous to the seat of application. 

It is objected to the theory of the operation of medicines 
by absorption, that certain poisons act with a rapidity in- 
compatible with their previous introduction into the circu- 
lation. This is, however, not the fact, as the action of the 
most violent poisons (hydrocyanic acid, for example), is 
never wholly instantaneous ; and careful experiments have 
shown that the velocity of the circulation is sufficient to 
diffuse a poison through the blood in a shorter space of time 
than its effects are ever observed on the system. 



26 MATERIA MEDICA. 



CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH MODIFY THE EFFECTS OF MEDICINES. 

The circumstances which modify the effects of medicines 
relate both to the medicines and to the human system. 

1. The properties of medicines are modified by the soil 
in which they grow, by climate, cultivation, age, and the 
season of the year at which they are gathered. 

2. Medicines are more active, because more readily ab- 
sorbed, in a state of solution than in a solid state. 

3. Soluble medicines are often rendered inert by a che- 
mical reaction which converts them into insolubles : in this 
way antidotes modify the effects of poisons. 

4. Differences in dose greatly modify the effects of medi- 
cines. 

5. Pharmaceutical modifications have an important in- 
fluence on the efficacy of medicines. They may be exhibited 
in the solid, semi-solid, liquid, and aeriform states : 

In the solid state they are administered in the shape of 
powders, pills, lozenges, and confections. 

In the liquid state, they are administered in the shape of 
mixtures, solutions, medicated waters, infusions, decoctions, 
tinctures, spirits, wines, vinegars, syrups, honeys, and oxy- 
mels. 

In the semi-solid, or soft state, they are applied externally, 
in the form of liniments, ointments, cerates, plasters, and 
cataplasms. 

In the form of gases and vapors, medicines are used for 
purposes of inhalation. 

SOLIDS. 

Powders (Pulveres). The form of powder is usually se- 
lected for the administration of medicines, which are not 
very bulky, nor of very disagreeable taste, which have no 
corrosive property, and which do not deliquesce rapidly on 
exposure. Deliquescent substances, and such as contain a 



FORMS IN WHICH MEDICINES ARE USED. 27 

large proportion of fixed oil, should always be recently pul- 
verized, as they are liable to spoil when kept. Other sub- 
stances, employed in the form of powder, are usually 
pulverized on a large scale. For the purpose of pulverizing 
drugs in small quantity, the physician makes use of a pestle 
and mortar, of iron, brass, glass, "Wedgwood ware, or mar- 
ble. Various means are resorted to, to facilitate the oper- 
ation of powdering, and care should be taken to separate 
the inert portions and impurities. 

The lighter powders may be administered in water or 
other thin liquid. The heavier powders require a more 
consistent vehicle, as syrup, treacle, or honey. 

Pills (Pilulce), are small globular masses, of a size that 
can be conveniently swallowed. The form of pill is suitable 
for the exhibition of medicines which are not bulky, and 
are' of disagreeable taste or smell, or insoluble in water. 
Deliquescent substances should not be made into pills, and 
those which are efflorescent should be previously deprived 
of their water of crystallization. 

Some substances are readily made into pills, with the ad- 
dition of a little water or spirit. Very soft or liquid sub- 
stances require the addition of some dry inert powder, as 
bread-crumb, or powdered gum Arabic, to reduce them to 
a proper consistence. 

Heavy powders are mixed with some soft solid, as con- 
serve of roses, or with a tenacious liquid, as treacle, or 
syrup. When the pilular mass is properly prepared, it is 
rolled with a spatula into a cylinder of uniform thickness, 
and is then divided into the required number of pills, with 
the hand, or more accurately, with a pill machine. The 
pills are rolled into spherical form between the fingers ; and 
to prevent adhesion, are dusted with some dry powder, as 
powdered liquorice root or carbonate of magnesia. To 
conceal the taste and smell of pills, they are sometimes 
coated with gelatin, collodion, mucilage, sugar, &c. Pills 



28 MATERIA MEDICA. 

which have heen long kept, may pass unchanged through 
the stomach and bowels, and are therefore objectionable. 

Troches or Lozenges (Trochisci), are small, dry, solid 
masses, made of powders with sugar and mucilage, and in- 
tended to be held in the mouth and allowed to dissolve 
slowly. Mucilage of tragacanth is usually employed in pre- 
paring lozenges. 

Confections (Confectiones), are soft solid preparations, 
made with some saccharine matter. They are subdivided 
into Conserves and Electuaries : the former consist of combi- 
nations of recent vegetable substances and refined sugar, 
beat into a uniform mass ; the latter are extemporaneous 
mixtures of medicines, usually dry powders, with syrup, 
honey, or treacle. 

LIQUIDS. 

Mixtures (Misturce), are preparations of insoluble sub- 
stances, suspended in water by means of gum Arabic, 
sugar, the yolk of eggs, or other viscid matter. When the 
suspended substance is oleaginous, the mixture is termed 
an emulsion. 

Solutions (Liquor es), are solutions (chiefly aqueous) of 
non-volatile substances, which are wholly soluble in the 
menstruum employed. In making solutions, and all other 
aqueous preparations, the water used should be fresh river, 
rain, or distilled water, and free from saline impurities. 

Medicated Waters (Aquce), are preparations consisting 
of water holding volatile or gaseous substances in solution. 
Many of them, having been made by distilling water from 
plants containing volatile oil, were formerly termed distilled 
waters. In place of distillation, trituration with carbonate 
of magnesia (afterwards separated by filtration) is now em- 
ployed to impregnate water with volatile oils. 



FORMS IN WHICH MEDICINES ARE USED. 29 

Infusions (Infusa), are partial solutions of vegetable sub- 
stances in water, obtained without the aid of ebullition. 
They are made with both hot and cold water : the former 
extracts the soluble principle more rapidly and in larger 
proportion ; the latter is preferred, when the active princi- 
ple would be injured by heat, or when it is desirable not to 
take up some matter, insoluble at a low temperature. In- 
fusions have been usually made by pouring water upon the 
substances to be infused, and allowing it to remain upon 
them for some time : when the process takes place at a heat 
of from 60° to 90°, it is termed maceration; when at a heat 
of from 90° to 100°, digestion. Of late years, a more effi- 
cient mode of extracting the medicinal virtues of plants has 
been introduced, termed percolation. In this operation, the 
medicinal substance is coarsely powdered, and placed in an 
instrument called a, percolator, in the lower part of which is 
fitted a porous or colander-like partition or diaphragm. 
The powder is then saturated with water or other men- 
struum, till it will absorb no more ; and, after they have 
remained some time in contact, fresh portions of the men-' 
struum are added, till the required quantity is employed. 
The fresh liquid, as it is successively added, percolates the 
solid particles of the medicinal substance, driving the pre- 
viously saturated liquid before it; and in this way com- 
pletely exhausts the substance to be dissolved. An ordinary 
glass funnel answers very well for percolation ; and a cir- 
cular piece of muslin or lint, pressed into the neck by 
means of a cork with notched sides, forms a good dia- 
phragm, — care being taken to interpose a similar piece of 
muslin, moistened slightly with the menstruum, between 
the diaphragm and powder. 

Decoctions (Decocta), are partial solutions of vegetable 
substances in water, in which the active principles are ob- 
tained by ebullition. This is a more rapid and active mode 
of extracting the virtues of plants than by infusion. But 
it is objectionable when the proximate principles are vola- 



30 MATERIA MEDICA. 

tile at a boiling heat, or undergo decomposition by ebulli- 
tion. In making decoctions, ebullition should be continued 
for a few minutes only, and the liquid should be allowed 
to cool slowly in a close vessel. As they are apt to spoil, 
they should be prepared only when wanted for use. 

Tinctures (Tinctarce), are solutions of medicinal sub- 
stances in alcohol or diluted alcohol. Ammonia and ethe- 
real spirit are also sometimes employed as solvents; and 
solutions in these menstrua are called ammoniated tinctures 
and ethereal tinctures. Alcohol or rectified spirit (of a sp. 
gr. 0.835, according to the U. S. Pharmacopoeia), is em- 
ployed in making tinctures of substances nearly or quite 
insoluble in water, as the resins, essential oils, camphor, 
&c. Diluted alcohol or proof spirit (consisting of equal 
measures of officinal alcohol and water) is preferred, when 
the substance is soluble both in alcohol and water, or when 
some of its ingredients are soluble in the one menstruum 
and some in the other. Tinctures have been usually pre- 
pared by maceration or digestion, more commonly by the 
former process, and a period of two weeks is recommended 
for its duration. It should be conducted in well-stopped 
glass vessels, which should be frequently shaken ; and when 
the maceration is completed, the tincture should be sepa- 
rated from the dregs by filtration. The U. S. Pharmaco- 
poeia now recommends percolation in making most tinctures, 
and in the hands of skilful pharmaceutists, this process is 
preferable, as the most thorough mode of exhausting medi- 
cinal substances ; but where the operator cannot trust 
himself, it is better to recur to the old process of maceration. 
Tinctures should be kept in bottles accurately stopped, to 
prevent evaporation, which might seriously increase their 
strength. 

The form of tincture is adapted to the exhibition of me- 
dicines, which are to be given in small quantity, and it 
affords a convenient mode of graduating doses. In pre- 
scribing large and continued doses of tinctures, the stimu- 



FORMS IN WHICH MEDICINES AEE USED. 31 

lating effects of the alcohol which they contain must be 
borne in mind. 

Spirits (Spiritus), are alcoholic solutions of volatile prin- 
ciples, properly speaking procured by distillation, but now 
usually prepared by dissolving the volatile principles in 
alcohol or diluted alcohol. The spirits of the aromatic 
vegetable oils are used to give a pleasant odor and taste to 
mixtures, to correct the nauseating and griping effects of 
cathartics, and also as carminatives and stomachics. 

Wines ( Vina), are solutions of medicinal substances in 
sherry or other white wines. They are more liable to decom- 
position than tinctures, and are of variable strength ; but 
they are in some cases preferred from the less stimulating 
character of the menstruum, which has also sometimes an 
increase of solvent power from the acid which it contains. 

Vinegars (Aceta), are infusions or solutions of medicinal 
substances in vinegar or acetic acid, which is a particularly 
good solvent of many vegetable principles, as the organic 
alkalies. 

Honeys (Mellita), are preparations of medicinal sub- 
stances in honey. In oxymels, a combination of honey and 
vinegar is employed. Neither of these preparations are 
now much used. 

Syrups (Syrupi), are preparations of medicinal substances 
in a concentrated solution of sugar. The term syrup 
(syrupus), or simple syrup, is applied to a solution of sugar 
(thirty-six troyounces) in water (Oij fSxij), dissolved with 
the aid of heat. Medicated syrups are usually made by in- 
corporating sugar with vegetable infusions, decoctions, ex- 
pressed juices, fermented liquors, or simple aqueous solu- 
tions. They may also be prepared by adding a tincture to 
simple syrup, and afterwards evaporating the alcohol ; or, 



32 MATERIA MEDICA. 

by mixing the tincture with sugar in coarse powder, and 
dissolving the impregnated sugar, after evaporation, in 
the necessary proportion of water. Syrups are apt to be 
spoiled by heat, and should be made in small quantities at 
a time. 

By the evaporation of the solutions of vegetable princi- 
ples, a very useful class of preparations termed Extracts 
(Extracta), is obtained. They are prepared from infusions, 
decoctions, tinctures, and vinegars ; and sometimes, in the 
case of recent vegetables, from the expressed juices of 
plants, usually diluted with water. Extracts, prepared by 
the agency of water, are termed watery extracts ; those by 
means of alcohol, alcoholic extracts; those by means of acetic 
acid, acetic extracts. The evaporation of extracts is gen- 
erally continued, till they have a pilular consistence. 
Within a few years, however, these preparations have been 
employed in the liquid form, under the name of Fluid Ex- 
tracts (Extracta Eluida), which have the advantage of con- 
venience of administration, and of being prepared at a less 
degree of heat. They are more liable than the solid ex- 
tracts to spontaneous decomposition ; and this difficulty is 
usually counteracted by means of sugar. In making the 
fluid extracts, alcohol, diluted alcohol, and acetic acid are 
the menstrua resorted to. The portion of the solvent 
which remains after evaporation, contributes in some de- 
gree to the preservation of the preparation. 

The Oleoresins (Oleoresince), are extracts obtained by 
the agency of ether, which consist of fixed or volatile oils, 
holding resins and sometimes other active matters in solu- 
tion. They retain a liquid or semi-liquid state, upon the 
evaporation of the liquid employed in their preparation, 
and have the property of self-preservation. 



FORMS IN WHICH MEDICINES ARE USED. 33 



SEMI-SOLIDS. 

Liniments (Linimenta), are oily preparations designed 
for external use, usually thicker than water, but always 
liquid at the temperature of the body. 

Ointments ( Unguenta), are preparations of a consistence 
like that of butter, made with lard or some other fatty sub- 
stance. They are fitted for application to the skin by 
friction or inunction. Most of the ointments become ran- 
cid, when long kept, and it is therefore best to prepare 
them only as wanted for use. • 

Cerates (Cerata), are made of oil or lard, mixed with 
wax, spermaceti, or resin, with the addition of various 
medicinal substances. They are of harder consistence than 
ointments, and do not melt when applied to the skin. 
Simple Cerate, or Cerate of Lard (Ceratum Adipis), consists of 
one part of white wax and two parts of lard. 

Plasters (Lmplastra), are adhesive at the temperature of 
the body, and must generally be heated to be spread. Some 
substances have sufficient consistence and adhesiveness to 
be made directly into plasters. Usually, however, medi- 
cinal substances when employed in this form, are mixed 
with Lead Plaster or Litharge Plaster (Ernplastrum Plumbi), 
a compound of olive oil and litharge. Plasters are prepared 
for use by spreading them upon sheepskin, linen, or mus- 
lin, with a margin a quarter or half inch broad. 

Cataplasms, or Poultices (Cataplasmata), are soft moist 
substances, intended for external use. The common emol- 
lient poultice, employed to relieve inflammation and pro- 
mote suppuration, is made by mixing bread-crumbs with 
boiling milk, or powdered flaxseed with boiling water. 

3 



34 MATERIA MEDICA. 



GASES AND VAPORS. 

When employed in this form, medicines are administered 
by inhalation. This may be effected either by diffusing the 
gas or vapor through the air to be respired by the patient; 
or by inclosing it in a bag or bottle with a suitable tube, 
through which the patient may breathe ; or, when ethereal 
vapors are employed, by saturating a sponge or handker- 
chief with the ether, and applying it to the mouth and nos- 
trils of the patient ; or the fumes of burning medicinal 
substances may be inhaled, by means of cigarettes or pipes, 
variously contrived. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 

In prescribing and dispensing medicines, the following 
are the weights and measures employed in the United States, 
with their signs annexed. 



The pound, ft) ] 
The ounce ! 

The drachm j 



TROY WEIGHT. 



contains 



Twelve ounces, ^. 
Eight drachms, 3. 
Three scruples, 9. 



The scruple J ^ Twenty grains, gr. 

The term pound should be avoided in formulas, owing to 
the danger of mistakes from confounding the troy pound 
with the heavier avoirdupois pound; and large weights 
should be expressed in troyounces. 



The gallon, C "■ 
The pint 
The fluidounce 
The fluidrachm 



WINE MEASURE. 

' Eight pints, O. 



contains 



Sixteen fluidounces, f!|. 
Eight fluidrachms, fj. 
Sixty minims, v%. 



Liquid measures are sometimes prescribed by drops. 



CIRCUMSTANCES MODIFYING EFFECTS OF MEDICINES. 35 

which, however, vary in quantity according to the nature 
of the liquid, and the shape and size of the vessel from 
which it is dropped. Approximate measurements are also 
frequently employed in prescribing the less powerful li- 
quids : thus a teacup is used for f§iv, or a gill ; a wineglass 
for fgij ; a tablespoon for fgss ; a teaspoon for f5j. 

A variet}^ of circumstances, relating to the human or- 
ganism, modify the effects of medicines. 

Age exerts a most important influence in this particular. 
Children are more susceptible than adults ; and, in advanced 
age, also, smaller doses are required than in the prime of 
life. No general rule can be laid down for the adaptation 
of the doses of medicines to different ages, as the different 
susceptibilities to the influence of different medicines are 
unequal at the same age. Thus, infants are peculiarly alive 
to impressions from opium, while, in the case of calomel 
and castor oil, they will bear much larger proportional 
doses. 

Dr. Young's scheme for graduating the doses of medi- 
cines to different ages answers very well in prescribing : 
"For children under 12 years, the doses of most medicines 
must be diminished in the proportion of the age to the age 

2 
increased by 12 ; thus, at two years to 4> viz. : Trrrr, = 4* 

At 21, the full dose may be given." 

Sex, temperament, and idiosyncrasy, all modify the effects of 
medicines. Women require somewhat smaller doses than 
men ; and during menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation, 
all active treatment, which is not imperatively demanded, 
should be avoided. To persons of a sanguine tempera- 
ment, stimulants are to be administered with caution, while 
in cases of nervous temperament, the same care is to be 
observed in the employment of evacuants. Idiosyncrasy 
renders many individuals peculiarly susceptible or insus- 
ceptible to the action of particular medicines, as mercury, 
opium, &c. 

Habit diminishes the influences of many medicines, espe- 



36 MATEKIA MEDICA. 

cially narcotics ; and not a few diseases produce a remarka- 
ble insusceptibility to medicinal action. 

The influence of race, climate, occupation, and the imagi- 
nation upon the effects of medicines is often decided, and 
deserves attention in prescribing. 



PARTS TO WHICH MEDICINES ARE APPLIED. 

Medicines are applied to the skin, to mucous membranes, 
to serous membranes, to wounds, ulcers, and abscesses, and 
they are injected into the veins. 

1. To the Skin. — Medicines are applied to the skin both 
for their local and general effects. As their influence on dis- 
tant organs is the result of their absorption, this function is 
usually assisted by friction, or by removal of the cuticle, 
when medicines are applied to the skin to affect remote 
parts of the system. 

The application of medicines to the skin by friction is 
occasionally resorted to, but its results are slow and uncer- 
tain ; and when we wish to affect the system through the 
agency of the skin, the preferable method is to apply the 
medicine to the dermis denuded of the cuticle. 

This is termed the endermic method, and the cuticle is 
usually removed by means of a blister. The medicine is 
applied to the denuded dermis in the form of a powder ; or, 
if very irritating, it may be incorporated with gelatine, 
lard, or cerate. This method is useful in cases of irritability 
of the stomach, of inability to swallow, or where we desire 
to influence the system rapidly, and by every possible ave- 
nue, or where it is of importance to apply the medicine 
near the seat of disease. The dose is to be two or three 
times the amount which is administered by the stomach. 

Another method of applying medicines through the skin, 
is by inoculation. In this method, a medicine is introduced, 
as in vaccination, by means of a small, sharp lancet, or a 
small syringe may be employed, by which the medicinal 
substance is introduced beneath the skin in a liquid state. 



PARTS TO WHICH MEDICINES ARE APPLIED. 37 

Medicines, which are operative in small doses, are intro- 
duced in this way. 

2. To the Mucous Membranes. — Medicines are applied to 
all the gastro-pulmonary and genito-urinary mucous sur- 
faces. 

a. To the conjunctiva, they are applied for local effects 
only, and are termed collyria, or eye-washes. 

b. To the nasal or pituitary membrane, they are applied 
usually for local purposes ; sometimes, however, to irritate, 
and excite a discharge, when they are* termed errhines ; 
sometimes, also, to produce sneezing, with a view to the 
expulsion of foreign hodies from the nasal cavities, when 
they are termed sternutatories. 

c. To the mucous membrane of the mouth and throat, medi- 
cines are applied almost exclusively for local purposes. 
When in solution, they are termed gargarismata or gargles. 
Powders are introduced by insufflation. 

d. To the Eustachian tubes, washes are applied in local 
affections. 

e. On the aerial or tracheo-bronchml membrane, medicines 
produce a very decided influence, both local and general. 
Liquid substances are introduced into the air-passages by 
means of a sponge or syringe, in the treatment of chronic 
inflammations of the larynx. Various substances are inhaled 
with advantage in phthisis, chronic bronchitis and laryngi- 
tis, asthma, &c. , while the most powerful effects are produced 
on the system by the absorption of ethereal vapors and gases 
through the pulmonary surface. 

/. The gastro-intestinal mucous membrane, of all parts of the 
body, is most employed for the exhibition of medicines. 
The stomach, from its great susceptibility, its active absorb- 
ing power, and the numerous relations which it has with 
almost every part of the body, is the chief recipient of me- 
dicinal agents. The rectum is, however, also frequently 
employed for various purposes, as to relieve disease of this 
or of neighboring organs, to occasion revulsion, to produce 
alvine evacuations, to destroy ascarides, and when for any 
reason it is desirable to spare the stomach. 



38 MATERIA MEDICA. 

It is usually recommended, that the dose of medicines, 
introduced into the rectum for constitutional effects, should 
be two or three times greater than when taken into the 
stomach. In the case of active, soluble medicines, how- 
ever, especially narcotics, it is most prudent to give the 
same amount by the rectum as by the mouth. 

Solid substances introduced into the rectum are termed 
suppositories ; they are best made with cocoa butter. Liquids 
introduced into the rectum are termed clysters, lavements, 
injections, and enemata. Soluble substances, when thus ap- 
plied, are usually dissolved in water ; insoluble substances 
are suspended in some mucilaginous vehicle. When the 
enema is to be retained, it should be from one to four 
nuidrachms in quantity. When it is introduced to act 
upon the bowels, its bulk may be from twelve to sixteen 
fluidounces for an adult, six to eight fluidounces for a 
youth of twelve, three to four fluidounces for a child of 
one to five years, and a fluidounce for a newly-born infant. 
Various instruments are used for the administration of ene- 
mata, as the pipe and bladder, the ordinary syringe, the 
self-injecting apparatus acting by gravity, and the elastic 
bottle and tube. Gaseous matters have also been thrown 
into the rectum — tobacco-smoke, for example, — to relieve 
obstruction of the bowels. 

g. To the urino-genital and vagino-uterine membranes, appli- 
cations are made exclusively for local purposes. 

3. To Serous Membranes. Irritating solutions are injected 
into the cavity of the tunica vaginalis testis, in hydrocele, 
and into the hernial sac, in hernia, for the purpose of pro- 
ducing adhesion of the sides of the sacs. 

4. To Ulcers, Wounds, and Abscesses, medicines are ap- 
plied chiefly for their local effects. The absorbing power of 
these surfaces is to be kept in mind in such applications. 

5. The injection of medicines into the Veins has been occa- 
sionally practised. The operation is, however, objection- 
able, from the danger of introducing air into the circulation; 
and it is seldom resorted to, except in the case of transfusion 
of blood after uterine hemorrhage. 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICINES. 39 

THE CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICINES. 

In treating of the articles of the Materia Medica, some 
writers have classified them according to their natural pro- 
perties, others according to their action on the human sys- 
tem. To the student of medicine, a classification based 
upon the sensible qualities or natural affinities of medicines 
can be of little value, since it associates articles of the most 
opposite remedial properties. A classification of medicines 
founded on a similarity of action on the animal economy 
is more desirable and useful, and various arrangements of 
the Materia Medica have been attempted on this basis. 
They are all, to some extent, necessarily imperfect, owing 
partly to the diversified effects of medicines, and partly to 
our ignorance of the real nature of many of the modifica- 
tions which they produce upon the tissues. Still, the ad- 
vantages of some arrangement of this kind are so numerous, 
that it cannot well be dispensed with. 

The following classification will be found to include the 
more ordinary and generally received divisions of the Ma- 
teria Medica, and to present the articles in convenient 
groups for therapeutic application. 

Medicines may be divided into — 

f Narcotics, 
Anaesthetics, 
Antispasmodics, 
Tonics, 
Astringents, 
Stimulants, 
Sedatives, 
. Spastics. 
Emetics, 
Cathartics, 
Diaphoretics, 
Diuretics, 
Blennorrhetics, 
Emmenagogues. 

III. Those which modify the blood, or Hob. \ . . . ' 
,. ,„ , ". -I Alteratives, 

mattes (from si/^*, the blood). . . , 

f Irritants, 

IV. Those which act topically. < Demulcents, 

I Anthelmintics. 



Those which have a special action on the 
nervous system, or Neurotics (from veygov,- 
a nerve). 



II. Those which have a special action on the 
secretions, or Eceritics (from wxg/c-/?, secre- 1 
tion). 



40 MATERIA MEDICA. 

CLASS I.— N EUEOTICS. 
ORDER I. — NARCOTICS. 

Narcotics (from vapxea> y to stupefy), are medicines which im- 
pair or destroy nervous action. When administered in not 
immediately poisonous doses, they often produce at first a 
moderate degree of excitation ; but this is rapidly followed 
by diminished activity in the functions of innervation. The 
different narcotics have most of them some special peculi- 
arity of action ; but they all agree in exerting a sedative 
or stupefying influence on the motor, sensor, and intellec- 
tual functions. Hence their therapeutic employment, to 
remove muscular spasm, relieve pain, allay cerebral or 
spinal irritability, and procure sleep. 

The influence of this class of medicines upon the system 
is rapidly diminished by habit ; and when administered for 
a length of time, they are to be given in gradually-increas- 
ing doses. 

When employed to relieve pain, they are termed anodynes ; 
when employed to procure sleep, hypnotics or soporifics. 

OPIUM. 

, Opium (from ottos y juice), is the concrete juice of the un- 
ripe capsules of Papaver somniferum [Nat Ord. Papave- 
racese). The opium poppy is a native of Persia, but is cul- 
tivated in various parts of Asia, in Europe, and in the 
United States. It is an annual plant, with a round, leafy 
stem, from two to four feet or more in height, and large 
four-petaled flowers. There are two prominent varieties 
of this species : the black poppy, with violet-colored or red 
flowers, brown or blackish seeds, and globular capsules ; 
and the white poppy, with white flowers and seeds, and ovate 
capsules; but these varieties run into each other under 
cultivation. 



OPIUM. 41 

The ripe capsules (papaver) are from an inch and a half 
to two inches or more in diameter, and contain a good 
deal of opium. They are sometimes given to children in 
the form of syrup, and are applied externally as an anodyne 
emollient, in the form of decoction. The seeds are desti- 
tute of narcotic properties, and are used in Europe as an 
article of diet, and for the manufacture of an oil. 

Opium is obtained from incisions in the half-ripe cap- 
sules. The juice, which exudes from the incisions, is 
scraped off after drying, generally with more or less of the 
epidermis, and is sometimes sent into market unmixed, as 
a choice variety. The opium of commerce is, however, 
commonly made by adding the dried juice, obtained by 
incision, to an extract prepared from a decoction of the 
leaves, the whole being kneaded together, formed into 
cakes, and wrapped in fresh poppy leaves. 

The commerce of the United States is supplied with 
opium almost exclusively from Asiatic Turkey. This is 
known in the market as Smyrna or Turkey opium, and 
comes in irregular rounded or flattened cakes, covered 
with the capsules of a species of Rumex. 

A large amount of opium is cultivated in British India, 
for consumption in India and China, but it is not found in 
our markets. The Persian opium is another variety, but 
it does not reach the United States. Much opium was 
formerly obtained from Upper Egypt, in the neighborhood 
of Thebes, but its production was for a long time aban- 
doned, though within the last twenty years again intro- 
duced. Successful attempts have been made with the cul- 
tivation of the poppy in England and other parts of Eu- 
rope, which have resulted in the production of good opium. 
Very fair specimens have also been made in the United 
States ; but the great source of our supply of opium has 
long been, and still is, the Turkish dominions. 

The best opium should have a fine chestnut color, an 
aromatic, strong, peculiar smell, and a dense consistence — 
becoming, however, harder and darker by being kept. It 



42 MATERIA MEDICA. 

should be moderately ductile, break with a deeply notched 
fracture, and, when drawn across white paper, should leave 
an interrupted stain. The taste is very bitter, and some- 
what acrid, and when chewed it excites irritation in the 
mouth and throat. It is inflammable, and imparts its vir- 
tues to water, alcohol, and diluted acids — but not to ether. 

Chemical Constituents. — Opium contains a great variety of 
chemical constituents, the most important of which is the 
alkaloid Morphia, which exists chiefly in combination with 
an acid called meconic. Other principles found in opium 
are the alkaloids, narcotina and codeia, — narceina, meconin, 
paramorphia, papaverina, opiania, porphyroxin, gum, ex- 
tractive, resin, oil, &c. Morphia is the principle upon 
which the narcotic effects of opium essentially depend, and, 
with its salts, is oflicinal in all the pharmacopoeias. 

Narcotina exists in opium, chiefly in the free state, and, 
being insoluble in water, is left behind when the drug is 
macerated in this menstruum. It occurs in white, taste- 
less, inodorous, needle-like crystals, which are soluble in 
ether. At one time it was thought to possess a portion of 
the narcotic properties of opium, but it is now admitted 
to be inert in this respect. Its salts have been used in In- 
dia as antiperiodic tonics, in the treatment of intermittent 
fevers. 

Codeia has been found to possess some narcotic and anti- 
spasmodic properties, but its great expense has prevented 
its introduction into general use. 

Opiania is said to be decidedly narcotic, resembling mor- 
phia in its action. It exists only in small amount, and lit- 
tle is known as yet about it. 

Incompatibles. — Alkalies, and astringent infusions con- 
taining tannic and gallic acids, are incompatible with 
opium; the former precipitate morphia from its soluble 
combination, while the latter form with it an insoluble 
compound. 

Tests. — T. of the chloride of iron strikes a red color with 
meconic acid; nitric acid colors morphia red; iodic acid 



opium. 43 

colors it reddish-brown, and if starch is added, .forms a 
blue compound ; ammonia precipitates it from solution ; 
and tannic acid forms with, it an insoluble precipitate. 

Physiological Effects. — When taken in a medicinal dose, 
opium at first moderately excites the circulation, increases 
the temperature of the skin, and agreeably exhilarates the 
intellectual functions. The stage of excitement is, how- 
ever, of short duration. The pulse soon sinks below 
the normal standard, susceptibility to external impressions 
is diminished, the faculties of the mind become confused, 
and consciousness is finally lost in sleep. All the secre- 
tions are diminished, except that of perspiration, which is 
heightened; muscular contraction is lessened; and in 
some persons nausea and vomiting are produced ; occasion- 
ally an itching and miliary eruption of the skin occurs. 

When a poisonous dose is taken, the stage of excite- 
ment is wanting ; giddiness and stupor rapidly come on, 
with diminution in the frequency, though not in the ful- 
ness of the pulse ; and these symptoms are soon followed 
by an irresistible tendency to sleep, and finally by coma. 
The breathing is heavy and stertorous, the pulse slow and 
oppressed, and the pupils are contracted. If relief is not 
afforded, the pulse sinks, the muscular system becomes 
relaxed, and death ensues, preceded sometimes by violent 
convulsions. 

In cases of poisoning from opium or its preparations, the 
stomach should be immediately evacuated by the stomach- 
pump, if possible, or by emetics. The direct emetics are 
best for this purpose, as the sulphate of zinc (20 to 30 
grains), or the sulphate of copper (5 to 10 grains). A large 
teaspoonful of mustard, ar a tablespoonful of powdered 
alum, answers very well as an emetic. Every means should 
be taken to arouse the patient from his lethargy; cold 
affusions, counter-irritation to the nape of the neck and 
extremities, flagellation to the palms of the hands and 
soles of the feet, and, best of all, when the coma is pro- 



44 MATERIA MEDICA. 

found, the electro-magnetic battery, constitute our chief re- 
sources in this emergency. Artificial inflation of the lungs 
is also to be practised. The use of belladonna and of strong 
coffee has also been found efficacious ; and stimuli may be 
used to support the system. The poisonous action of 
opium appears to be entirely directed to the nervous sys- 
tem, no local lesions being found after death. 

Opium is largely used as an habitual stimulant in Orien- 
tal countries, and to some extent in Europe and the United 
States. The effects of indulgence in this species of intoxi- 
cation are of the most destructive character upon both the 
physical and mental faculties. 

Medicinal Uses. — Of all the articles of the Materia Me- 
dica, opium enjoys the widest range of therapeutic appli- 
cation. From its properties of assuaging pain and inducing 
sleep, it is useful in almost all diseases ; and it is positively 
contraindicated only where there is a tendency to apoplexy 
or coma, or where there exists an idiosyncrasy with respect 
to its effects. As an anodyne in painful malignant ulcers 
and severe injuries, we have no substitute for opium ; and, 
as an hypnotic in mania-a-potu, and in the wakefulness and 
cerebral irritability of fever, it is equally invaluable. From 
its power of relaxing muscular spasm, it is our most effi- 
cient resource in tetanus, colic, and spasm of the stomach, 
bowels, biliary ducts, ureters, neck of the bladder, &c. In 
dysentery and cholera it forms the basis of every variety 
of treatment, partly for its diaphoretic effects, but princi- 
pally for its action in arresting both the secretions and pe- 
ristaltic motion of the bowels. In pulmonary and gastric 
irritability, colica pictonum, peritonitis, rheumatism, gout, 
neuralgia, typhus, gangrene, convulsive diseases, diabetes, 
&c, opium is also constantly employed. 

Administration. — The ordinary dose of opium as an ano- 
dyne and hypnotic is one grain. Much larger doses are, 
however, called for in many diseases ; and, when it is ad- 
ministered for a length of time, the dose must be gradu- 



opium. 45 

ally increased. To infants and very old persons, it is to be 
given with great caution. 

Opium is administered in the form of powder or pill. It 
is easily powdered when thoroughly dried, and the pills 
should always be made from the powder. The powder is 
sometimes used endermically, and is also sprinkled on irri- 
table ulcers. In the form of suppositories it is also applied 
to the rectum. 

The following are the officinal preparations of opium : 

Tinctura Opii (Tincture of Opium) Laudanum. Pre- 
pared by macerating two troyounces and a half of powdered 
opium in diluted alcohol Oij. When long kept, particu- 
larly if exposed to the air, it becomes thick from evapora- 
tion of the alcohol, and its strength is much increased. 
Dose : rr^xiij , or 25 drops, equivalent to a grain of opium. 
There are 120 drops in in f5j. Laudanum is much used 
in the form of enema. 

Tinctura Opii Camphorata (Camphorated Tincture of 
Opium). Paregoric Elixir. Prepared by macerating sixty 
grains of opium in diluted alcohol Oij, with benzoic acid, 
oil of anise, clarified honey, and camphor. Dose : f 5ss, or 
a tablespoonful, containing rather less than a grain of 
opium. A favorite preparation for children. 5 to 20 drops 
may be given to an infant. 

Tinctura Opii Deodorata (Deodorized Tincture of Opium) 
contains the same proportion of opium as laudanum. In 
preparing it, a liquid watery extract of opium is first made, 
which is then washed with ether. The ether is afterwards 
separated, the residue dissolved in water, and mixed with 
enough alcohol to preserve it. The narcotina as well as 
the odorous and many other injurious ingredients of opium 
are thus got rid of. A new but valuable preparation. 
Dose, the same as that of laudanum. 

Tinctura Opii Acetata (Acetated Tincture of Opium). 
Prepared by macerating two troyounces of opium, in vinegar 
fgxij, and alcohol Oss. Dose, rrgx, or 20 drops. 

Acetum Opii (Vinegar of Opium). Black Drop. Pre- 



46 MATERIA MEDICA. 

pared by saturating diluted acetic acid with opium, mixed 
with nutmeg, saffron, and sugar. Dose, 7 to 10 drops. 

Vinum Opii (Wine of Opium). Sydenham'' s Laudanum. 
Prepared by macerating two troy ounces of opium in sherry 
wine Oj, with cinnamon and cloves. Dose, the same as 
that of laudanum. 

Extractum Opii (Extract of Opium). Made by evapo- 
rating the aqueous solution. Dose, gr. J. 

Confectio Opii (Confection of Opium). Opium beaten up 
with honey and spices. Dose, grs. xxxvj. 

Trochisct Glycyrrhiza et Opii (Troches of Liquorice 
and Opium). Much used in Philadelphia under the name 
of Wistar's cough lozenges. Made with opium, liquorice, 
gum arabic, sugar, and oil of anise. Each troche contains 
one-tenth of a grain of opium. 

Emplastrum Opii (Opium Plaster). Made by mixing 
opium with Burgundy pitch and lead plaster. 

Pulvis Ipecacuanha Compositus ( Compound Powder of 
Ipecacuanha). This powder, well known under the name 
of Lover's Powder, is made by rubbing up sixty grains of 
opium and ipecacuanha each, with a troy ounce of sulphate 
of potassa; the salt being employed to promote the minute 
division and thorough intermingling of the opium and ipe- 
cacuanha. Dover's powder is a most valuable anodyne 
diaphoretic, extensively prescribed in diarrhoea, dysentery, 
rheumatism, bronchitis, pneumonia, &c. Dose, gr. x, con- 
taining gr. j of opium and ipecacuanha each. 

Pilule Opii (Pills of Opium). Sixty grains of opium, 
made into sixty pills, with twelve grains of soap. Each pill 
contains a grain of opium. Kept in the shops, as hard old 
opium pills are sometimes preferred in cases of irritable 
stomach. 

Pilule Saponis Composite (Compound Pills of Soap). 
Sixty grains of opium made into a pilular mass, with half a 
troy ounce of soap. Useful for the administration of small 
doses. One grain of opium is contained in live of the 
mass. 



LACTUCARIUM. 47 

Morphia and its Preparations. — Morphia exists in 
opium chiefly in combination with meconic acid. The 
meconate of morphia is separated from the other constitu- 
ents of the drug by successive macerations in water. Al- 
cohol and solution of ammonia are then added to the wa- 
tery solution, by which the salt is decomposed, the ammo- 
nia precipitating the morphia, and the alcohol seizing the 
coloring matter as soon as it is separated from the alkali. 
The crystals of morphia, which are formed, are afterwards 
boiled in alcohol, and the solution is filtered through animal 
charcoal. 

Morphia occurs in colorless crystals, which are inflam- 
mable and dissipated by heat. It is without smell, but 
very bitter ; scarcely soluble in water or ether, but is solu- 
ble in boiling alcohol. From its insolubility, it is not em- 
ployed medicinally, except in combination with 'acids. 

Morphia Sulphas (Sulphate of Morphia), Morphia Ace- 
tas (Acetate of Morphia), Morphia Murias (Muriate of 
Morphia), are the officinal salts of morphia, made by satu- 
rating the alkali with sulphuric, acetic, and muriatic acids. 
They are all freely soluble in water, and produce analogous 
medicinal effects, the sulphate being, however, most em- 
ployed in this country. The salts of morphia possess the 
anodyne, hypnotic, antispasmodic, and diaphoretic proper- 
ties of opium, and are considered less apt to produce head- 
ache and nausea, or other unpleasant effect. They are 
peculiarly adapted to the endermic method of application. 
Dose, one-sixth to one-fourth of a grain. A solution of the 
sulphate of morphia is officinal, and is much prescribed 
(Liquor Morphioz Sulphatis). It contains one grain to fgj 
of water. Dose, f5j-ij. 

LACTUCARIUM. 

Lactucarium is the concrete juice of Lactuca sativa, 
the Garden Lettuce (Nat. Ord. Cichoracese), and is obtained 
from incisions in the plant, before the flower-stem, shoots.. 



48 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Another and inferior mode of procuring it is by expres- 
sion and evaporation of the expressed juice. It is found 
in the shops in roundish, hard masses, of a reddish-brown 
color, with an opiate smell, and a bitter, unpleasant taste. 
An active principle termed lactucin is said to have been 
isolated. 

Effects and Uses. — Lactucarium possesses the anodyne and 
hypnotic qualities of opium, with a slight sedative action 
on the circulation, but it is an uncertain preparation. It 
may be given where opium disagrees from idiosyncrasy in 
the patient. Dose, gr. x. The syrup is the most eligible 
form of administration. Dose, two or three fluidrachms. 



BELLADONNA. 

Belladonna Folium, Belladonna Leaf; Belladonnse Badix, Belladonna 

Root. 

Atropa Belladonna, or Deadly Nightshade (Nat Ord. 
Solanaceae), is a European perennial plant, with herbace- 
ous, branched, downy stems, about three or four feet high, 
large ovate leaves, of a dull-green color, and drooping, 
bell-shaped, purple flowers. The whole plant possesses 
narcotic properties, but the leaves and root only are ofh- 
'cinal. When fresh, the leaves have an unpleasant smell, 
and a sweetish, subacrid, slightly nauseous taste. When 
.dried they retain this taste, but have scarcely any odor. 
The dried root is long, round, from one to several inches 
in thickness, branched, of a reddish-brown color, of little 
odor, and a feeble sweetish taste. 

The narcotic properties of belladonna depend on the pre- 
sence of an alkaloid termed atropia, which is found in all 
parts of the plant. It is a white, crystalline, odorless sub- 
stance, with a bitter, acrid taste, soluble in alcohol and 
ether, more so in chloroform, and partially soluble in water. 
It is a most energetic poison, producing analogous effects 
to those of belladonna, but much more powerful. Lat- 
terly, atropia has been a good deal employed medicinally 



BELLADONNA. 49 

as a substitute for belladonna, on account of its greater 
certainty. The dose to begin with for internal use is about 
one-thirtietb of a grain in solution. As a collyrium, to 
dilate the pupil, a solution of a grain in four fluidrachms of 
water, with a few drops of acetic acid, may be employed, 
and a drop of the solution applied to the eye. A tincture 
(atropia gr. j , diluted alcohol f§ss) is used for the same pur- 
pose — dose, for internal use, 8 drops. And a sulphate of 
atropia and an ointment are also employed. 

Physiological Effects of Belladonna. — In small doses, the 
effects of belladonna are those of an anodyne narcotic, with 
little or no action on the circulation, or on any of the secre- 
tions, except a peculiar dryness of the mouth and throat. 
In larger doses it causes dilatation of the pupils, loss of vision, 
giddiness, constriction of the throat, difficulty of degluti- 
tion and articulation, nausea, with occasionally vomiting 
and purging, and sometimes a red eruption. "When ex- 
cessive doses are taken, these symptoms are aggravated, 
and terminate in maniacal delirium, coma, syncope, and 
death, often preceded by convulsions. Dissections show 
that the action of the poison is not confined to the cerebro- 
spinal system, but that it is attended by inflammation of 
the digestive organs. Cases of poisoning from belladonna 
are to be treated by evacuation of the stomach, cathartics, 
and, if coma occurs, by the electro-magnetic battery. Lime- 
water and the alkaline solutions have been found useful. 
Applied to the eyebrow, belladonna causes dilatation of 
the pupil. 

Medicinal Uses. — Belladonna is one of our most highly- 
esteemed anodyne and antispasmodic remedies. It is des- 
titute of hypnotic effect, and, on the contrary, has a ten- 
dency to occasion wakefulness. In the treatment of neu- 
ralgia it ranks at the head of the narcotics, and is 
extensively employed both alone and in combination with 
the sulphate of quinia. It should be given until dryness 
of the throat, dilatation of the pupil, and some disorder of 
vision are produced. Its powers of allaying spasm have 

4 



50 MATERIA MEDICA. 

been found very efficacious in the treatment of whooping- 
cough. As a discutient of cancerous indurations, it has 
enjoyed some reputation, but any good effects in these 
cases have probably been owing to an anodyne and not a 
resolvent influence. In mania, and many diseases of the 
cerebro-spinal system, especially epilepsy, it has been occa- 
sionally employed with advantage. In asthma, constipa- 
tion, iritis, and as a prophylactic against scarlatina, it is also 
resorted to. As a preventive of scarlatina, it was origi- 
nally proposed from its power of affecting the throat and 
skin, and respectable authority is not wanting in confirma- 
tion of its efficacy in this particular. It is used, too, in 
cases of poisoning by opium. 

As a topical remedy, belladonna is employed principally 
to produce dilatation of the pupil in operations for cataract, 
iritis, and prolapsus iridis. It is applied in the form of ex- 
tract or ointment to the eyebrow, temple, or conjunctiva, 
and produces dilatation in a few minutes. The topical ap- 
plication of belladonna has been suggested in France to 
relieve rigidity of the os uteri in labor, but the practice 
has not found favor in Great Britain or the United States. 

Administration. — The dose of the powder of the root or 
leaves is gr. j, to be repeated and increased till dryness of 
the throat, dilatation of the pupil, and dimness of vision 
are produced. It is most frequently exhibited in the form 
of extract (or inspissated juice) of the leaves. Dose, \ to J 
a grain, to be repeated and increased. The tincture (four 
troyounces of the leaves to diluted alcohol Oij — dose, 15 to 
30 drops) and the alcoholic extract are also officinal. For ex- 
ternal use, a plaster [Emplastrum Belladonna?), made with 
the extract and resin plaster, and an ointment ( Unguentum 
Belladonnas), are employed. 



STRAMONIUM. 



51 



STRAMONIUM. 

Stramonii Folium, Stramonium Leaf; Stramonii Semen, Stramonium 

Seed. 

Pie. 1. 




Datura Stramonium, or Thorn Apple, sometimes called 
Jamestown weed (Nat. Ord. Solanacese), is an annual in- 
digenous plant, which grows very abundantly in waste 
grounds in all parts of the world. It has a forked, branch- 
ing stem, from three to six feet high, ovate, toothed leaves, 
large funnel-shaped white or purplish flowers, which ap- 
pear in midsummer, and ovate capsules, filled with nume- 
rous kidney-shaped, brownish-black seeds. The odor of 
the plant is strong and disagreeable, and its taste bitter and 
nauseous. It loses these properties very much when dried, 
but the process does not appear to weaken its narcotic 
qualities. The Leaves and Seeds are officinal, but the 
seeds are most powerful from containing most daturia. 

The active principle of Stramonium is an alkaloid termed 
daturia, which possesses properties analogous to those of 
atropia. 

The physiological effects of stramonium are closely allied 



52 MATERIA MEDICA. 

to those of belladonna, with a more marked action on the 
secretions. From its common occurrence in every part of 
the country, cases of poisoning from this weed are very 
frequent, particularly with children, who are fond of swal- 
lowing the seeds. The treatment laid down for the relief 
of poisoning from belladonna is applicable to these cases. 

The medicinal uses of stramonium are similar to those 
of belladonna. It is prescribed internally in neuralgia, 
whooping-cough, mania, and epilepsy; and in spasmodic 
asthma the leaves have been smoked with great relief. 
The practice is, however, dangerous in aged or apoplectic 
persons. Topically, stramonium is used by oculists to 
dilate the pupils and diminish the sensibility of the retina 
to light ; and it is an excellent anodyne application, in the 
form of cataplasm and ointment, to inflammatory tumors, 
irritable ulcers, bed sores, and hemorrhoids. 

Administration. — The dose of the powdered leaves is gr. ij ; 
of the seeds, a grain, to be repeated and gradually increased 
till narcotic effects are produced. Dose of the extract of 
the leaves (an inspissated juice), and of the alcoholic extract, 
gr. j, to commence with. The tincture (four troyounces of 
the seeds to diluted alcohol Oij ; dose 20 to 40 drops), and 
the ointment, made by mixing the extract with lard, are also 
officinal. 



HYOSCYAMUS — HENBANE. 

Hyoscyami Folium, Henbane Leaf; Hyoscyami Semen, Henbane Seed. 

Hyoscyamus niger, or Henbane (Nat. Ord. Solanacese), 
is a native of Europe, and is naturalized in the northern 
parts of the United States. It grows to the height of about 
two feet, with large, sinuated, pale-green leaves, and flowers 
of a straw-yellow color. The whole plant has narcotic 
properties; but the leaves and seeds only are officinal. 
Henbane should be gathered when in flower; and, when 
fresh, has a strong, offensive narcotic odor, and a mucila- 



HENBANE. 



53 



ginous, unpleasant, slightly acrid taste ; but it loses most 
of these qualities in drying. The seeds are of a yellowish- 



Fig. 2. 




gray color, with something of the odor of the plant, and 
have an oleaginous, bitter taste. The active properties of 
the plant depend upon a peculiar alkaloid principle, termed 
hyoscyamia, nearly identical in its action with atropia, but 
more soluble in water. 

Effects and Uses. — The effects of henbane on the system 
much resemble those of belladonna. They differ from 
those of opium in their comparatively feeble hypnotic 
effect, and in their relaxing influence on the bowels. In 
large doses, it causes dilatation of the pupil, delirium, loss of 
vision, &c. In cases of poisoning, the same treatment is 
to be pursued as for belladonna and stramonium. Hen- 



54 MATERIA MEDICA. 

bane may be used remedially, in the same diseases, as bel- 
ladonna and stramonium, than which it is, however, less 
active. It has been administered also from the earliest days 
to palliate cough, where opium is objectionable from its 
constipating or nauseating influence. Externally, it is 
employed in the form of cataplasm or fomentation to pain- 
ful swellings and ulcers ; and it may be used to dilate the 
pupil, in the same manner as belladonna. 

Dose of the powdered leaves, gr. v to gr. x ; of the seeds, 
somewhat less. The extract (an inspissated juice of the 
leaves) is the preferable form of administration ; it is of a 
dark olive color, and extremely variable quality. Dose, 
gr. v to gr. x. Tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol 
Oij), dose f5j. An alcoholic extract is also officinal. 

TABACUM — TOBACCO. 

Mcotiana Tabacum, or Yirginian tobacco [Nat. Ord. Sola- 
nacese), is a native of the warm countries of America, but 
is now extensively cultivated in most parts of the world. 
It is an annual plant, growing to the height of from three 
to six feet, with large, oblong, pointed, hairy, pale-green 
leaves, and light-greenish, funnel-shaped flowers, expand- 
ing above into rose-colored segments. The dried leaves 
are the portion used. They have a yellowish-brown color, 
a strong, peculiar, narcotic odor, and a bitter, nauseous 
taste. The darker colored leaves are the strongest. 

The virtues of tobacco are imparted to alcohol and wa- 
ter, and depend on the presence of an alkaloid called nicotia, 
which is found in all parts of the plant. It is a colorless 
liquid, of a feeble odor, when cold, but irritant, when 
heated, and of an acrid, burniug taste, and is a most ener- 
getic poison. From the dried leaves is also obtained a 
concrete volatile oil, termed nicotianin, which is probably 
the odorous principle of the plant, and an empyreiimatie oil, 
which gives the peculiar smell to old tobacco pipes. Both 
of these principles are poisonous. 



•TOBACCO. 55 

Physiological Effects. — On persons unaccustomed to its 
use, tobacco, in small doses, produces a slight sedative ac- 
tion, with nausea, swimming in the head, increased flow 
from the kidneys, and sometimes, also, from the bowels. 
In larger doses, it induces vomiting and purging, a sensa- 
tion of sinking at the pit of the stomach, giddiness, disor- 
der of vision, the pupils, however, being little affected, de- 
pression of the circulation, great relaxation of the muscu- 
lar system, coldness of the surface, and other symptoms of 
prostration ; and, when excessive doses have been taken, 
these symptoms become more violent, and are followed by 
convulsions, paralysis, coma, and death. Cases of poison- 
ing are to be treated on the principles applicable to other 
cases of narcotic poisoning ; the diffusible stimuli are to be 
freely given. 

The habitual use of tobacco as an exhilarant is well 
known. When taken to excess, it frequently develops 
disorders of the stomach, heart, and nervous system. 

Medicinal Uses. — Tobacco is employed in medicine, 
chiefly with a view to its action on the muscular system — 
its anodyne and hypnotic properties being relatively fee- 
ble. In various spasmodic diseases, particularly in colic, 
ileus, strangulated hernia, constipation from spasmodic 
constriction, tetanus, spasm of the neck of the bladder 
and the glottis, and asthma, it is a remedy of great value. 
It has been also successfully applied to the treatment ol 
poisoning by strychnia. Medicinally, tobacco is to be em- 
ployed with caution, as it occasionally acts with dangerous 
energy. 

Administration. — Tobacco is not given by the stomach, 
owing to its emetic properties. It is usually applied to the 
rectum, in the form of infusion (5j — Oj of boiling water, 
one-third to be given at a dose), or tobacco-smoke may be 
introduced into the rectum. It may also be smoked for 
medicinal effect, or applied locally in the form of cata- 
plasm. An ointment ( Unguentum tabaci), made by mixing 
finely powdered tobacco with lard, is a useful application 



56 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



to indolent ulcers and some cutaneous affections, particu- 
larly tinea capitis. The oil [Oleum tabaci), is sometimes 
mixed with ointments. 



LOBELIA. 



Lobelia innata, or Indian tobacco (Nat Ord. Lobelia- 
ceae), is a very common annual or biennial indigenous 




plant, growing to the height of from six inches to two 
feet, with a fibrous root, an erect, hairy stem, ovate, ser- 



LOBELIA. 57 

rated leaves, pale-blue flowers, and ovoid, inflated capsules. 
It flowers from July till the appearance of frost, and 
should be gathered about August and September. All 
parts of it are active, but the leaves and capsules are 
most so. It has an unpleasant smell, and, when chewed, 
an acrid, burning, nauseous taste, which is at first faint, 
but soon becomes excessive. Water and alcohol extract 
the virtues of lobelia, which contains a volatile alkaloid 
principle, lobelina, analogous to nicotia. 

Physiological Effects. — Lobelia produces effects on the 
system resembling those of tobacco, acting in small doses 
as a sedative, nauseant, diuretic, and diaphoretic ; in larger 
doses as an energetic emetic ; and in still larger doses as 
an active acro-narcotic poison, resembling tobacco in its 
influence. It was employed by the aborigines, and has 
always been a popular empirical remedy. 

Medicinal Uses. — Lobelia is sometimes classed among 
emetics, but its action in this particular is too violent for 
its safe administration. It is chiefly employed, by regular 
practitioners, with a view to its antispasmodic properties, 
for the relief of asthma, and is given in small doses, gra- 
dually increased, until headache or nausea ensue. It may 
also be used as an enema, to fulfil the same indications as 
tobacco. 

Administration. — Lobelia is given in substance, tincture, 
and infusion. The dose of the powder as an antispasmodic, 
is gr. j to gr. iij ; as an emetic, gr. v to gr. xx. The best 
form, particularly in asthma, is the tincture (four troyounces 
to diluted alcohol Oij), which maybe given in the quan- 
tity of f5j, to be repeated as occasion may require. 

Acetum Lobelia ( Vinegar of Lobelia), is a good prepara- 
tion, in which the alkaloid is fixed by the acetic acid ; it is 
of the same strength, and may be given in the same doses 
as the tincture. 



58 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



CONIUM — HEMLOCK. 



Fig. 4. 




Conium maculatum, or Hemlock (Nat Ord. Apiacese), 
is a biennial European plant, naturalized in many parts of 
the United States. Its stem is erect, from three to five feet 
high, round, smooth, and often spotted with purple. The 
leaves are large, bright-green, and repeatedly compound; 
the flowers are small, white, and arranged in umbels, ap- 
pearing in June and July. The whole plant is narcotic 
and virulent, and has a fetid, heavy odor. The leaves 
are the only portion used in medicine. They should be 
gathered when the plant has done flowering, and kept in 
vessels from which the air and light are excluded. Plants 
growing in sunny situations and warm climates are most 
active. When well preserved, the dried leaves have a fine 
green color, and the characteristic smell and bitterish taste 
of the fresh herb, though less powerfully. 



HEMLOCK. 59 

The active principle of hemlock is a peculiar alkaloid 
termed conia, which exists in larger proportion in the seeds 
than the leaves. It is a yellowish, oily fluid, sparingly so- 
luble in water, and freely so in alcohol and ether ; and is 
a highly energetic poison even in very small doses. 

Physiological Effects. — The action of hemlock in medicinal 
doses is purely narcotic, without either sedative or stimu- 
lant influence. In large doses, it causes nausea, vertigo, 
dimness of vision, relaxation of the muscles; and in poison- 
ous quantities, dilatation of the pupils, difficulty of speech, 
delirium or coma, paralysis, and finally convulsions and 
death. It appears to have little or no hypnotic effect. 

Medicinal Uses. — It is employed chiefly as a general and 
topical anodyne, to relieve the pain of malignant tumors ; 
and, though probably destitute of the deobstruent powers 
which have been ascribed to it, exerts a remarkable pal- 
liative influence upon painful chronic indurations. It has 
been also recommended as an antispasmodic in whooping- 
cough, asthma, and even tetanus ; and it is used externally 
as a cataplasm to cancers and other irritable ulcers. Co- 
nium is the cicuta of Hippocrates, Galen, and Pliny, and is 
supposed to have been the poison administered to Socrates 
and Phocion. 

Administration. — The officinal preparations of this medi- 
cine are the powder, tincture, and extract. The dose of the 
powdered leaves is gr. iij to gr. iv, twice a day, to be rapidly 
increased, till vertigo or nausea ensue. The extract (inspis- 
sated juice) may be given in the same doses ; it is an un- 
certain preparation, and should be rejected unless it have 
a strong and penetrating odor. A tincture (four troyounces 
to diluted alcohol Oij, dose f 5ss, f 5j) ? & fluid extract, and an 
alcoholic extract, are also used. 



60 MATERIA MEDICA. 

ACONITUM — ACONITE. 
Aconiti Folium, Aconite Leaf; Aconiti Eadix, Aconite Koot. 

Aconitum Napellus, Aconite, Wolfsbane, or Monkshood 
(Nat. Ord. Ranunculaceae), is a native of the mountainous 
parts of Europe. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant, with 
a fusiform root, a simple erect stem, growing usually to the 
height of from two to four feet, palmate, deeply cleft leaves, 
and large, dark, violet-blue flowers. The leaves and root 
are both used, but the root is the more powerful. They 
have little or no smell ; but their taste is bitterish and ac- 
rid, and when chewed they occasion a peculiar feeling of 
tingling and numbness, in the tongue and interior of the 
mouth. These properties are impaired by long keeping, 
and the plant loses its medicinal efficacy. Other species of 
aconite possess similar poisonous qualities to those of the 
A. Napellus. The active principle of aconite is an alkaloid 
named aconitia, which is officinal. 

Physiological Effects. — Taken in small doses, aconite pro- 
duces a sensation of numbness in the head, face, and ex- 
tremities, with a sedative action on the circulation, and more 
or less nausea and muscular debility. In larger doses, its 
effects are those of an acro-narcotic poison ; gastric irrita- 
tion, purging, contraction or expansion of the pupils, numb- 
ness or paralysis of the limbs, syncope, convulsions, and 
death. In case of poisoning, the stomach is to be thor- 
oughly evacuated, and stimulants, externally and internally, 
are to be freely administered. 

Medicinal Uses. — Aconite is a powerful and valuable re- 
medy in the treatment of neuralgia, chronic rheumatism, 
gout, and other painful diseases, as might be inferred from 
its benumbing effects on the system. From its sedative in- 
fluence on the circulation, its employment has been sug- 
gested to reduce inflammatory action, and as a remedy in 
hypertrophy of the heart. It is, however, an uncertain and 
occasionally a very violent agent ; and its exhibition in doses 



EXTRACT OF HEMP. 61 

large enough for an antiphlogistic influence is hardly free 
from danger. As a topical anodyne, in neuralgia, it has no 
superior. 

Administration. — The dose of the powdered leaves is gr. j 
to gr. ij ; of the alcoholic extract of the dried leaves, gr. f to 
gr. j ; of the tincture of the leaves (four troyounces to di- 
luted alcohol Oij), 20 to 30 drops ; of the tincture of the 
root, which is hy far the best preparation (twelve troy- 
ounces to alcohol Oij), 5 to 10 drops. These doses are to 
be repeated twice or thrice daily, and cautiously increased, 
till the effects of the medicine are apparent. The tincture 
and alcoholic extract may be used externally. 

Aconitia is prepared from an aqueous solution of an 
alcoholic extract of aconite root, by the addition of sulphuric 
acid (which converts the natural salt of aconitia into a sul- 
phate) ; it is then freed of its oily and resinous portions by 
means of ether, the alkaloid is subsequently precipitated 
with ammonia, then redissolved by ether, and again sepa- 
rated from this menstruum by evaporation. It is a white, 
amorphous powder, with a tinge of yellow, without smell, 
of a bitter, acrid taste, and produces in the mouth a sense 
of numbness. It is partially soluble in w^ater, and is readily 
dissolved by alcohol, ether, and chloroform. 

Aconitia is an exceedingly virulent poison, more power- 
ful when pure than hydrocyanic acid. It is scarcely adapted 
to internal use, as even one-fiftieth of a grain has produced 
alarming results. As a topical agent in neuralgia and 
rheumatism, it has been employed with great success in 
alcoholic solution (gr. i-ij to f 5j), or as an ointment (gr. ij 
to lard 5j, rubbed up with alcohol gtt. vj). 



EXTRACTUM CANNABIS — EXTRACT OF HEMP. 

"An alcoholic extract of the dried tops of Cannabis 
sativa — variety Indica," was introduced into the Materia 
Medica in the edition of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia preceding 
the last. Cannabis sativa, or Hemp (Nat. Ord. Cannabi- 



62 MATERIA MEDICA. 

nacese) is a native of Persia and the northern parts of India, 
and is cultivated in Europe, and in the United States. 
Narcotic virtues appear to exist only in the Cannabis In- 
dica, or Indian variety of the plant, although there is no 
difference in the botanical characters of the several varieties. 

The medicinal properties of the plant reside in a resin- 
ous substance, which exudes from glands upon the surface 
of the stalks and leaves, and the extract is made by evapo-- 
rating a tincture of the dried tops. Under the name of 
purified extract of hemp, the U. S. Pharmacopoeia directs a 
preparation made by evaporating a tincture of the crude 
extract, thus securing greater uniformity of strength. Ex- 
tract of hemp is of a dark, olive-green color, a fragrant nar- 
cotic odor, and a bitter, acrid taste. It is soluble in alcohol 
and ether, but not in water. The resin, which is probably 
the active principle, has received the name of cannabin. 

Effects and Uses. — The medicinal properties of Cannabis 
Indica are narcotic and antispasmodic, and in India both 
the herb and resin are extensively used as intoxicating ex- 
hilarants, under the name of haschisch. In large doses it is 
sedative, producing relaxation of the muscles, heavy sleep, 
and abatement of pain, without much affecting the secre- 
tions ; but opinions are by no means settled in the United 
States and Great Britain as to its effects. It has been 
chiefly extolled as an antispasmodic in traumatic tetanus, 
and has been employed with success in other spasmodic 
diseases, chorea, hysteria, &c, and as an anodyne in rheu- 
matism, gout, neuralgia, &c. It has also been given with 
advantage as an hypnotic in mania-a-potu ; and its powers 
of exciting uterine contractions, and of checking uterine 
hemorrhagic discharges, are highly spoken of. Dose, from 
half a grain to two or more grains. 



HUMULUS — HOPS. 

Hops are the strobiles of Humulus lupulus, or Hop-vine 
(Nat. Ord. Urticacese), a climbing vine, indigenous in Eu- 



hops. 63 

rope, and probably also in North America, with serrated, 
rough leaves, and greenish-yellow flowers. The medicinal 
portion is the fruit, or strobiles, which are also largely 
employed in the preparation of malt liquors, and are known 
as hops. They consist of thin, somewhat translucent, veined, 
leaflike bracts or scales, of a greenish-yellow color, a strong, 
fragrant, narcotic odor, and a bitter, aromatic, slightly as- 
tringent taste. Near their base are two small, round, dark 
seeds, covered with aromatic glands or grains, which are 
the active portion of the hops, and are termed lupulin. 
They are separated by threshing, rubbing, and sifting the 
scales, and constitute about a sixth part of their weight. 

Lupulin is officinal, and consists of rounded or reniform, 
rather transparent grains, of a cellular texture, and a gol- 
den-yellow color. It is slightly soluble in water, and com- 
pletely so in alcohol, and is composed of a volatile oil, a 
bitter principle termed lupulite, resin, and other matters. 
The scaly bracts contain a small portion of lupulinic mat- 
ter. 

Effects and Uses. — Hops are narcotic and tonic. The 
narcotic properties probably reside in the volatile oil, and 
the tonic properties in the bitter principle. They are said, 
also, to possess antaphrodisiac properties, and sometimes 
prove diuretic. The odorous emanation is employed as an 
hypnotic by means of the hop-pillow. Internally, they are 
given to relieve restlessness, induce sleep, and allay pain, 
and are also much employed for their stomachic and tonic 
effect. The combination of tonic and narcotic virtues ren- 
ders hops an excellent remedy in mild forms of mania-a- 
potu. Topically, they are employed in the form of fomen- 
tation or poultice, as a resolvent or discutient, in painful 
swellings and tumors. 

Administration. — Hops are given in the form of infusion 
(half a troyounce to boiling water Oj), and tincture (five 
troy ounces to diluted alcohol Oij), dose, f5j to f5iij. 

The best preparation for internal use is Lupulin, in the 
dose of gr. v to gr. xij, in powder or pills. The tincture 



64 MATERIA MEDICA. 

of lupulin (four troy ounces to alcohol Oij) may be given in 
the dose of f5j to fSij. The fluid extract is a concentrated 
tincture, containing the virtues of an ounce of lupulin in 
a fluidounce. The oleoresin also is officinal — dose, gr. ij 
to v. 

DULCAMARA — BITTERSWEET. 

The stalks of Solatium Dulcamara, the Woody Night- 
shade, or Bittersweet (Nat. Ord. Solanacese), a European 
vine, naturalized in the United States, possess combined 
narcotic and diaphoretic properties. They are of a green- 
ish-gray color, about the thickness of a quill, and have, 
when fresh, an unpleasant odor, which they lose by drying. 
Their taste is at first bitter, afterwards slightly acrid and 
sweet. The active principle is a poisonous alkaloid termed 
solania, which, has been found also in Solanum tuberosum, 
or common potato, and S. nigrum, or black nightshade. 

Effects and Uses. — In small doses, the most obvious ef- 
fects of Bittersweet are an increase in the secretions from 
the skin and mucous surfaces, with some diminution of 
sensibility. In excessive doses it is an acro-narcotic poison. 
It is principally used in the form of decoction (a troyounce 
to water Ojss boiled to Oj), in painful cutaneous affections, 
and also in chronic catarrh, rheumatism, and gout. An 
extract and fluid extract are both officinal. 



ACIDUM HYDROCYANICUM DILUTUM — DILUTED 
HYDROCYANIC ACID. 

Hydrocyanic acid, known also as cyanhydric acid, and 
prussic acid, is found in a variety of vegetable substances, 
as the bitter almond, peach kernels and leaves, wild cherry, 
cherry laurel, &c. It is employed in medicine only in a 
state of extreme dilution ; and the diluted acid is obtained 
by the action of sulphuric acid and water on the ferrocya- 



DILUTED HYDROCYANIC ACID. 65 

nide of potassium, or, when wanted for immediate use, 
by the action of muriatic acid and water on cyanide of 
silver. 

Diluted hydrocyanic acid is a colorless, volatile liquid, 
with a peculiar odor, and a cooling, somewhat irritating 
taste. It undergoes decomposition if exposed to the light, 
and should be kept in bottles covered with black paint or 
paper. It contains two per cent, of the anhydrous or con- 
centrated acid. 

The anhydrous acid is a colorless, transparent, very vo- 
latile and decomposable liquid, with a powerful, peculiar 
odor, and a cooling, afterwards burning, taste. Both wa- 
ter and alcohol dissolve it readily. It consists of one eq. 
of cyanogen and one of hydrogen. Its presence in a sus- 
pected mixture may be detected by the addition of a solu- 
tion of nitrate of silver, which throws down a white, curdy 
precipitate of cyanide of silver, distinguishable by its ex- 
haling the peculiar odor of prussic acid on the addition of 
muriatic acid ; or (the best test) the hydrocyanic acid may 
be converted into hydrosulphocyanate of ammonia by the 
addition of bihydrosulphate of ammonia, and the salt thus 
formed yields a deep blood-red color upon the addition of 
a sesquioxide salt of iron. 

Physiological Effects. — When taken in medicinal doses, 
gradually increased, hydrocyanic acid occasions a bitter 
taste, increased flow of saliva, irritation in the throat, nau- 
sea, headache, giddiness, faintness, disorder of the vision, 
and tendency to sleep. The pulse is sometimes accele- 
rated, but more commonly depressed. In a poisonous 
dose, hydrocyanic acid arrests life with fearful rapidity, 
and is one of the most energetic poisons known, one or 
two drops of the pure acid being sufficient to destroy a 
dog in a few seconds. When not immediately fatal, it pro- 
duces great and sudden prostration, trismus, difficult and 
spasmodic respiration, dilatation and immobility and some- 
times contraction of the pupils, convulsions, &c. The best 
antidotes are ammonia and its carbonate, chlorine, and a 

5 



66 MATERIA MEDICA. 

mixture of sulphate of iron (gr. x to water fSj), tincture of 
chloride of iron (fSj), and carbonate of potassa (3j), in wa- 
ter (fgj or ij); cold affusions and, if necessary, artificial 
respiration are to be resorted to. 

Medicinal Uses. — Hydrocyanic acid is a valuable narcotic 
agent in allaying spasm, pain, and nervous irritability in a 
variety of disorders, and is much used to relieve cough, 
particularly in phthisis pulmonalis, and for its antispas- 
modic virtues in asthma and whooping-cough. It is, 
moreover, a most efficacious remedy in gastrodynia, and 
in neuralgic affections of the bowels, and also in chronic 
vomiting. Topically, it is employed as an anodyne in 
neuralgia, and in various forms of cutaneous diseases (f5j 
to water Oj-Ojss). 

Dose of the officinal acid, one or two drops, to be re- 
peated and gradually increased by a drop, till some effect 
is perceptible. When it is taken for a length of time, care 
should be observed to have the medicine, as renewed, of 
uniform strength ; and it is best, in using a fresh sample, 
to return to the minimum dose. 

Potassii Cyanidum (Cyanide of Potassium), is used as a 
substitute for hydrocyanic acid, and has the advantage of 
being a more uniform chemical product, and less liable to 
undergo decomposition. It occurs in white, opaque, amor- 
phous masses, having a sharp, somewhat alkaline and bit- 
ter-almond taste, and its solution yields the odor of hydro- 
cyanic acid, when exposed to the air. It is very soluble 
in water, and sparingly so in alcohol. Its medicinal and 
poisonous effects are the same as those of hydrocyanic acid. 
Dose, gr. J in half an ounce of distilled water, to be re- 
peated and increased. The addition of a few drops of some 
vegetable acid frees the hydrocyanic acid, and the same 
effect is produced by the acids of the stomach. 

Oleum Amygdala Amar^e (Oil of Bitter Almond), con- 
tains hydrocyanic acid, and may be used for the same 



CAMPHOR. 67 

purposes. It is obtained by distillation from the fruit of 
Amygdalus communis, variety Amara [Nat. Ord. Amyg- 
dalese), and is of a yellowish color, with a bitter, acrid, 
burning taste, and the peculiar odor of the bitter almond, 
which is different from that of hydrocyanic acid. It is 
heavier than water, slightly soluble in it, and soluble in 
alcohol and ether. Its effects upon the system are closely 
analogous to those of hydrocyanic acid, and its strength is 
about four times that of the diluted officinal acid. Dose, 
for internal use, a quarter to half a drop, in emulsion ; as 
an external application, one drop to a fluidounce of men- 
struum. Bitter Almond Water is used as a vehicle for nar- 
cotic medicines. Dose, half a fluidounce. 

Syrupus Amygdala [Syrup of Almond), made from both 
the sweet and bitter almonds, is slightly impregnated with 
the virtues of hydrocyanic acid, and is a pleasant vehicle 
for cough mixtures. 



CAMPHOR A — CAMPHOR. 

Camphor is a peculiar concrete substance, derived from 
Camphora officinarum, or the Camphor Laurel (Nat. Ord. 
Lauracese), a large evergreen tree of China, Japan, and 
Cochin-China. All parts of the tree are strongly impreg- 
nated with camphor, which is obtained from the roots and 
branches by sublimation. In this state it is known in 
commerce as crude camphor, and consists of dirty grayish 
grains, adhering in crumbling masses. The crude cam- 
phor, as imported from Canton, is not found in the shops, 
until it is refined by resublimation with lime, when it is 
termed refined camphor. 

This occurs in large hemispherical or convex-concave 
cakes, perforated in the middle. It is solid at ordinary 
temperatures, soft, and somewhat tough, but may be 
readily powdered by the addition of a few drops of alco- 



68 MATERIA MEDICA. 

hol. It is translucent, lias a strong, fragrant odor, and an 
aromatic, bitter, afterwards cooling, taste. It is volatile, 
highly inflammable, lighter than water, and very slightly 
soluble in it, but soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, oils, 
and acids. Water, &dded to the tincture, precipitates the 
camphor. 

A valuable camphor is known in the East, which is found 
in a concrete state in the cavities and fissures of the trunk 
of Dryobalanops Camphora, a tree of Borneo and Suma- 
tra. The Borneo camphor occurs in small fragments of 
crystals, which are transparent, brittle, and harder than 
the laurel camphor. An oil, or liquid camphor, is also ob- 
tained from the Dryobalanops, which is more highly es- 
teemed in Oriental countries than the camphor itself. 

Camphor is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen 
(CjoHgOJ. It has been considered to be an oxide of a hy- 
pothetical base called camphogen or camphene, which is 
isomeric with the oil of turpentine. "When heated, it 
yields an oil, called oil of camphor. By passing hydrochlo- 
ric acid into oil of turpentine, a substance is obtained 
called artificial camphor. 

Physiological Effects. — The topical action of camphor is 
irritant. After its absorption, its effects, in small doses, 
are moderately stimulant, exhilarant, and anodyne, with a 
determination to the skin. In large doses, it causes con- 
siderable disorder of the cerebro-spinal system, and gene- 
rally depression of the circulation ; and in excessive quan- 
tity, it acts as a powerful acro-narcotic poison, occasioning 
burning heat in the stomach, violent convulsions, and ma- 
niacal delirium. It is also an anaphrodisiac. In cases of 
poisoning, after evacuating the stomach, opium, wine, &c, 
are to be administered. 

Medicinal Uses. — From its combined narcotic and diapho- 
retic powers, camphor is a valuable remedy in the treat- 
ment of dysentery, and is much employed in this disease, 
either in combination with opium, or as a substitute for 
the latter. In the early stages of cholera, and in flatulent 



CAMPHOR. 69 

diarrhoea, it is also greatly prescribed. As a diaphoretic 
stimulant and antispasmodic, it is useful in the low stages 
of fever and in typhoid conditions of the system generally. 
In many forms of mental disorder, it calms irritability, re- 
lieves despondency, and induces sleep. And it has no 
superior among the anodynes, in allaying irritation or pain 
of the genito-urinary organs, as in dysmenorrhoea, uterine 
after-pains, strangury, nymphomania, chordee, &c. From 
its anodyne and sudorific properties, it is also applicable to 
the treatment of chronic rheumatism and gout. Exter- 
nally, camphor is employed as an anodyne in rheumatism, 
and as a discutient in chronic inflammatory affections. 

Administration. — The medium dose, in substance, is gr. 
v to gr. x; but it may vary from gr. j to 3j. It is best 
given in emulsion, made by rubbing up the camphor with 
loaf sugar, gum arabic, myrrh, and water. The form of 
pill is objectionable, from the difficulty with which it is 
dissolved in the gastric liquors. 

Aqua Camphors (Camphor Water), is made by rubbing 
up camphor with a few drops of alcohol, and subsequently 
with the carbonate of magnesia and water. The carbo- 
nate is used to promote the solution of the camphor, and 
is afterwards separated by filtration. Dose, fgj (contain- 
ing about gr. iij) to foij or iij. The spirit (four troy ounces 
to alcohol Oij), is chiefly used as an embrocation, but it 
may be given internally, where the stimulus of the alco- 
hol is not objectionable, in the dose of gtt. v to f5j. 

Llnimentum Camphors (Camphor Liniment), consists of 
camphor (1 part), dissolved in olive oil (4 parts): a mild 
embrocation. 

Linimentum Saponis (Soap Liniment), is made by mix- 
ing soap and camphor with oil of rosemary, in alcohol and 
water. It is a yellow oleaginous liquid, and is used as an 
anodyne and gently rubefacient application, in gouty and 
rheumatic pains, sprains, bruises, &c. 

Oleum Camphors (Oil of Camphor), the volatile oil ob- 
tained from Camphora officinarum, is a light reddish-brown. 



70 MATEKIA MEDICA. 

fluid, with the odor and taste of camphor. It has medicinal 
properties similar to those of camphor, but is more stimu- 
lant, and therefore especially adapted to affections of the 
stomach and bowels. Dose, 2 or 3 drops. It is used also 
externally. 



ORDER II. — ETHEREAL ANESTHETICS. 

The term, Anaesthetics (from «, non, and aUdrjins, sensa- 
tion), properly speaking, includes all agents which diminish 
sensibility and relieve pain. It has, however, been used 
to denominate a class of ethereal remedies, which are ap- 
plied by inhalation, and produce such a condition of tem- 
porary insensibility, as to prevent pain during surgical ope- 
rations and parturition. 

The vapors usually employed as anaesthetics, are those 

Of SULPHURIC ETHER and CHLOROFORM. 

Nitrous oxide gas, and the vapors of several ethers have 
been also used for this purpose. Amylen, a product of 
amylic alcohol or fusel oil, has been lately introduced as 
an anaesthetic, but it is highly dangerous. Hydride of 
amyl has been also proposed. 



JETHER — ETHER. 

Sulphuric ether is prepared by the distillation of alcohol 
and sulphuric acid, and is afterwards rectified by redistilla- 
tion with solution of potassa. For inhalation, however, it 
is further purified by being shaken with water, by which 
it is freed from alcohol, and this, as well as acid contami- 
nations, are afterwards removed by the agency of chloride 
of calcium and freshly calcined lime. Thus purified, it is 
designated as ^Ether Fortior — Stronger Ether. 

Although commonly termed sulphuric ether, in allusion 
to the sulphuric acid used in its preparation, yet ether con- 



ETHEK. 71 

tains no sulphuric acid. By the action of the acid upon 
alcohol, this substance, which is chemically a hydrated 
oxide of ethyl, is deprived of the elements of water, and 
is converted into the oxide of ethyl or ether, for which the 
formula is C 4 H 5 0. 

Ether is a transparent, colorless liquid, with a strong, 
fragrant odor, and a hot, pungent taste. It wholly evapo- 
rates in the air, so rapidly as to cause a considerable de- 
gree of cold, is very inflammable, combines with alcohol 
and chloroform in every proportion, and dissolves in ten 
times its volume of water. The sp. gr. of pure ether is 
0.713, of Mther fortior, 0.728. 

Effects and Uses when Swallowed. — When taken into the 
stomach, ether produces a combined stimulant and nar- 
cotic effect, the stage of excitement being, however, very 
transient. It has long been employed as an antispasmodic 
and anodyne remedy in asthma, angina pectoris, hysteria, 
cramp of the stomach and bowels, spasm of the gall ducts, 
&c. ; and from its combined stimulant and antispasmodic 
virtues, it has been found useful in the latter stages of ty- 
phus, attended by subsultus tendinum, &c. As a topical 
anodyne, ether is a very good application in nervous head- 
ache and earache ; and from its refrigerant effects, it has 
been used in the reduction of strangulated hernias, and as 
a cooling lotion in cerebral affections. If evaporation be 
repressed, when it is applied locally, it acts as a rubefa- 
cient, and may be employed for counter-irritation. 

Dose, f 5ss to f 5j, to be increased when habitually used. 
It may be incorporated with water, by rubbing it up with 
spermaceti, in the proportion of two grains to a fluidrachm 
of ether, or it may be given in capsules of sugared gum. 

Effects and Uses when Inhaled. — When the vapor of ether 
is absorbed into the system through the pulmonary surface, 
the nervous functions are successively and progressively af- 
fected. The mental faculties and volition become first im- 
paired; insensibility and unconsciousness rapidly supervene, 
during which susceptibility to pain is lost ; and the patient lies 



72 MATERIA MEDICA. 

in a trance-like sleep, resembling death. This condition is 
often preceded by one of excitement, during which patients 
sometimes moan, sing, rave, or present pugnacious mani- 
festations. In the beginning of etherization, the circulation 
is accelerated, but it is afterwards depressed. The period 
of intoxication lasts from five to ten minutes, and the pa- 
tient ordinarily recovers without serious inconvenience; 
although headache, nausea, drowsiness, and languor some- 
times ensue for a few hours. Occasionally, congestion of 
the brain or lungs, cataleptic rigidity with prolonged insen- 
sibility, and, in females, hysterical phenomena ensue after 
etherization ; but these effects are uncommon, and it is be- 
lieved that death has never followed the use of ether, when 
care has been taken to admit atmospheric air into the lungs 
along with the ether. During the stage of insensibility, 
convulsive twitches or muscular rigidity are occasionally 
noticed ; the breathing is sometimes stertorous ; the iris 
becomes fixed; the pupils are dilated; the eyeballs are 
upturned ; and the orbicularis palpebrarum does not con- 
tract when touched. Insensibility to pain in some cases 
takes place before unconsciousness ; and when patients are 
recovering from the latter state, the mental faculties are 
often completely restored, while insensibility to pain con- 
tinues. 

Since the year 1846, the inhalation of ether, first resorted 
to in our own country, has been practised very generally 
in all parts of the world, with the greatest success, for the 
prevention of pain in surgical operations ; and its use has 
been also extended with the happiest results to the relief 
of pain in labor. 

It should not be exhibited where disease of the heart or 
brain, or serious obstruction of the lungs exists, or when 
from any cause there is unusual tendency to syncope, and 
precaution should be taken to guard against asphyxia ; but 
when administered with proper care and discrimination, it 
is attended with little or no danger or unpleasant results of 
amy kind. 



CHLOROFORM. 73 

The quantity of ether necessary to effect etherization is 
about two ounces ; and it may be conveniently applied by 
means of a soft sponge or handkerchief. The sponge is 
usually adjusted in shape to the projection of the nose, and 
after being soaked in warm water, and squeezed dry, is 
saturated with pure ether. It is then applied to the nos- 
trils, the mouth being left free to receive atmospheric air ; 
and if irritability of the air-passages occur, this is to be 
gradually overcome. From three to five minutes are re- 
quired to produce anaesthezation, and its occurrence is 
known by closure of the eyelids (if they have been previ- 
ously open), failure to respond to questions, and muscular 
relaxation. The sponge is then to be removed, and may 
be reapplied from time to time if necessary. 

Etherization has been also resorted to in a variety of mor- 
bid conditions, in which the administration of narcotics and 
antispasmodics has been found useful. It exerts a power- 
ful control over the violent types of spasmodic disease, and 
has been prescribed with the greatest advantage in hysteria, 
tetanus, poisoning from strychnia, asthma, chorea, convul- 
sions, puerperal eclampsia, whooping-cough, dysmenor- 
rhea, and almost every description of spasm ; and as a 
relaxant in the reduction of dislocations. 



CHLOROFORMUM — CHLOROFORM. 

Chloroform is obtained from the distillation of alcohol 
with chlorinated lime, but, for medical use, the chloroform 
of commerce requires purification, which is accomplished 
by shaking it with sulphuric acid. This destroys the 
chlorinated pyrogenous oil, which contaminates the chloro- 
form, and the sulphurous acid formed and the water present 
are afterwards removed by means of alcohol and carbonate 
of potassa. 

Purified Chloroform (Chloroformum Purificatum) is a 
colorless, very volatile liquid, of a bland, ethereal odor, and 



74 MATERIA MEDICA. 

a hot, aromatic, saccharine taste. It is not inflammable, 
is slightly soluble in water, and freely soluble in alcohol and 
ether. It has extensive solvent powers, dissolving cam- 
phor, the fixed and volatile oils, most resins and fats, iodine, 
bromine, the organic alkalies, &c. Sp. gr. from 1.49 to 
1.494. It is, chemically, a terchloride of formyl, C 2 HC1 3 . 

Physiological Effects. — The effects of chloroform on the 
system are analogous to those of ether, but much more 
rapid and powerful. It is, however, destitute of the excit- 
ant properties of ether, and acts as a sedative narcotic. 
When inhaled, in the dose of a fluidrachm or more, it 
rapidly induces anaesthetic sleep, with great relaxation of 
the muscles, and the most complete insensibility to painful 
agents. The period at which insensibility occurs varies 
from fifteen seconds to two minutes ; and it continues 
usually between five and ten minutes, and may be prolonged 
considerably, by renewals of the inhalation. The patient 
usually recovers without recollection of what has occurred 
during the state of insensibility, and with few or no un- 
comfortable sequelae. 

The administration of chloroform has, in some cases, 
been attended with fatal s} 7 ncope. This has ordinarily oc- 
curred with such rapidity as to render remedial interference 
unavailing ; but, at the slightest approach of symptoms of 
the kind the patient should be placed in a recumbent po- 
sition, cold affusions should be applied, and, above all, 
electro-magnetism should be resorted to. It would be pro- 
per always to have an electro-magnetic machine ready for 
use, when chloroform is inhaled. 

Topically applied, and when its evaporation is prevented, 
chloroform acts as an irritant, and soon vesicates the skin 
— powerfully diminishing painful impressions during its 
application. 

Medicinal Uses. — Chloroform is prescribed by the stomach 
as an anodyne and antispasmodic, in all the cases to which 
ether is applicable, and has the advantage of a more agree- 
able taste. It has been found particularly useful to relieve 



CHLOROFORM. 75 

the pain and vomiting of cancer of the stomach. It has 
been also extolled as an antiperiodic in the treatment of 
intermittent fevers. Externally, it is used as a topical ano- 
dyne, and also as a stimulating application to foul and in- 
dolent ulcers, and occasionally for its constitutional effects. 

Dose, from fSss to f5j,m sweetened water or mucilage; 
to be repeated. As an anti-neuralgic liniment, f 5j to f §ij 
of camphor liniment ; or as a rubefacient and anodyne, un- 
diluted, on linen, covered with oiled silk, to prevent evapo- 
ration. As a wash or gargle, f 5j or ij to water Oj. 

The introduction of chloroform, as an anaesthetic, took 
place shortly after that of ether ; and, from its greater in- 
tensity of action, its freedom from irritating effects on the 
bronchial mucous membrane, and its more agreeable odor, 
it has been extensively used, particularly in Great Britain, 
to the exclusion of ether. A number of fatal cases have, 
however, occurred from the inhalation of this agent, where 
its administration did not appear in any way counter-indi- 
cated ; and it can scarcely be considered a perfectly safe 
remedy. It is employed as an anaesthetic, anodyne, and 
antispasmodic, to fulfil the indications to which ether is ap- 
plicable. In midwifery, it is probably less dangerous than 
in the operations of surgery, owing to the counteracting 
influence of the pains of labor upon the nervous system ; 
and no fatal case is recorded from its employment during 
parturition. 

The dose for inhalation is a fiuidrachm, to be repeated 
in two minutes, if anaesthesia be not produced; and its 
efi'ects may be renewed from time to time, without injury. 
It may be applied on a handkerchief, held near the nose or 
mouth, care being taken to allow a proper admixture of 
atmospheric air. 

A solution of chloroform in ether has been used in the 
United States, but from the unequal volatilization of the 
two liquids, it must be difficult to modify their effects by 
combination. 

Spiritus Chloroformi (Spirit of Chloroform,), is a solution 



76 MATERIA MEDICA. 

of one part of chloroform in six parts of alcohol ; a conve- 
nient form for internal exhibition. Dose, f5ss-f5j. 

Liniment of Chloroform is made by mixing three parts of 
chloroform with four parts of olive oil. 

Mixture of Chloroform is made by mixing chloroform, in 
which camphor is dissolved, with water, by the interven- 
tion of yolk of egg. Dose, fgss-fgj. 



ORDER III. — ANTISPASMODICS. 

Antispasmodics are medicines that allay irregular nervous 
action. Their effects upon the economy in a state of health 
are not very decided, and are limited to a slight stimulation 
of the circulation, and exhilaration of the mental faculties. 
Their influence is, however, strikingly shown in certain 
deranged conditions of the nervous system, particularly in 
those forms of spasm which depend upon idiopathic or 
primary nervous disorder. They are also useful in many 
varieties of mental disturbance, as wakefulness, hypochon- 
driasis, and even insanity, and are often preferable to nar- 
cotics in the treatment of these cases, from their compara- 
tive freedom of action on the brain. 



ASSAFOETIDA — ASSAFETIDA. 

Assafetida is the concrete juice of the root of Narthex 
Assafoetida (Nat. Ord. Apiacege). This plant is a native of 
Persia, and has a large, tapering root, the size of a man's 
leg, with long, lanceolate leaves, springing directly from 
the root, and an erect stem, from six to nine feet in height, 
rising from the midst of the leaves. The drug is obtained 
from incisions made into the root, or by taking successive 
slices of it. The exuded juice is scraped off, hardened in 
the sun, and afterwards packed for exportation. It occurs 
in masses of various size, consistence, and color, but is 



ASSAFETIDA. 77 

usually whitish, intermixed with darker spots, and becomes 
reddish, and finally brown, by exposure to the air. It is 
sometimes soft and adhesive, at other times hard and brit- 
tle, and is not readily powdered, except at a low tempera- 
ture. It breaks with a waxy lustre, and the best samples 
appear to be composed of irregularly-shaped tears. Its 
taste is unpleasant, bitter, and acrid ; its odor powerful, al- 
liaceous, and fetid. 

Assafetida is a gum-resin, united to a volatile oil. The 
gum is dissolved by water; and the mucilage thus formed 
suspends the resin and volatile oil. The resin and volatile 
oil are soluble in alcohol ; but the tincture becomes milky 
on the addition of water, owing to the separation of the 
resin. 

Physiological Effects. — Assafetida is a moderate excitant 
and exhilarant, and exerts a marked influence upon morbid 
conditions of the nervous system. It also stimulates the 
mucous secretions generally, and increases the peristaltic 
action of the bowels. Its volatile oil is absorbed, and the 
odorous principle is recognized in the secretions, especially 
in the perspiration. 

Medicinal Uses. — !No medicine is more highly esteemed 
as a direct antispasmodic than assafetida. It is much re- 
sorted to in the various forms of hysteria, and is particu- 
larly valuable in relieving the mental depression which 
constitutes one of the protean types of this disorder. In 
other spasmodic diseases, as chorea, asthma, whooping- 
cough, &c, it is a favorite remedy with many practitioners ; 
and, from its combined expectorant and antispasmodic pro- 
perties, it is particularly adapted to spasmodic pectoral af- 
fections. In certain diseases of the abdominal viscera, as 
flatulent colic and costiveness, assafetida is often useful as 
an antispasmodic and laxative enema. It is also prescribed 
as a stimulating emmenagogue, when the uterine disorder 
is attended with a disturbance of the nervous functions. 

Notwithstanding its disagreeable odor, this drug is 
largely used as a condiment in Asia ; and even in the re- 



78 MATERIA MEDICA. 

lined cookery of Europe its flavor is admired. Many per- 
sons take it habitually for its exhilarant effects ; and, when 
used as a medicine, it generally becomes acceptable. 

Administration. — Dose, gr. v to 3j, in pill. It is most 
frequently given in the form of mixture (Mistura Assafce- 
tidse, — 5ij, rubbed gradually with water Oss), — dose, f§ss 
to foj, repeated; or as an enema, fgij to f§iv. This mix- 
ture, from its whiteness and opacity, is sometimes called 
lac assafoetidai, or milk of assafetida. Pills of assafetida, made 
by beating up assafetida with soap and water, are officinal, 
each pill containing 3 grs. of the gum-resin. The tincture 
(four troyounces to alcohol Oij — dose f 5j), is a good prepa- 
ration, where the alcohol is not objectionable* A plaster 
(which contains also galbanum), is used externally in 
whooping-cough and catarrh. 



GALBANUM. 

Galbanum is the concrete juice of an unknown Eastern 
plant. It is met with in the form of tears, or more com- 
monly in lumps, of a brownish color, and has a peculiar 
balsamic odor, and a hot, bitter, acrid taste. It is a gum- 
resin united to a volatile oil. Its effects are similar to 
those of assafetida, but less active ; and it is chiefly em- 
ployed externally, as a stimulant and resolvent to indolent 
swellings. The compound pills of galbanum (which contain 
also myrrh and assafetida) are used as antispasmodic and 
emmenagogue. Galbanum forms the basis of the com- 
pound galbanum plaster. 



AMMONIACUM — AMMONIAC. 

This is the concrete juice of Dorema Ammoniacum 
(Nat. Ord. Apiacese), a plant of Persia. It comes in tears 
or lumps, of an irregular shape, yellowish on the outside, 
whitish within, is moderately hard and brittle, and has an 



VALERIAN. 79 

unpleasant, bitter, and rather acrid taste, with a pecu- 
liar smell, somewhat like that of galbanum. It is a gum- 
resin, with a little volatile oil. Its effects are similar to 
those of assafetida; but it is seldom used, except as an 
antispasmodic expectorant in chronic catarrh. Dose, gr. 
x to xxx. A mixture and plaster are officinal. 



.VALERIANA — VALERIAN. 

Valeriana officinalis, or Wild Valerian {Nat. Ord. Vale- 
rianacege), is a perennial European plant, growing to the 
height of three or four feet, with serrated leaves, and small, 
reddish- white fragrant flowers. The root is the portion 
used, and consists of numerous long, slender, cylindrical 
fibres, attached to a rough, tuberculated head. The color 
of the dried root externally is yellowish or brown, and in- 
ternally white ; when powdered, it is yellowish-gray. It 
has a peculiar, powerful odor, of which cats are fond, and 
a bitterish, subacrid, aromatic taste. Water and alcohol 
extract its virtues, which depend on the presence of a vola- 
tile oil, from which a peculiar colorless, volatile acid, called 
valerianic, may be separated. 

Effects and Uses. — Valerian generally acts as an ener- 
getic excitant and antispasmodic, although at times it 
makes but a feeble impression on the system. It is much 
used as a nervous excitant and antispasmodic in the va- 
rious forms of hysteria, and occasionally, also, in epilepsy, 
chorea, hemicrania, hypochondriasis, delirium tremens, &c. 

Dose of the powder, from 5ss to 5jss, three or four times 
a day; of the infusion (half a troy ounce to Oj of water), 
f 5j to ij ; of the tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol 
Oij), f 5j ; of the ammoniated tincture (four troyounces to 
aromatic spirit of ammonia Oij — an excellent preparation), 
f 5j to ij ; of the fluid extract, f 5j ; of the alcoholic extract, 
gr. x to xxx ; of the oil, 4 or 5 drops. 

Ammonlze Valerianas ( Valerianate of Ammonia). — This 



80 MATERIA MEDICA. 

salt, made by combining valerianic acid with ammonia, 
occurs in snow-white, pearly crystals, of an odor like vale- 
rianic acid, and a sharp, sweetish taste. It is soluble both 
in water and alcohol. Much employed in neuralgia, hys- 
teria, chorea, epilepsy, &c. Dose, gr. ij-viij, given in coated 
pills; or an elixir, prepared with aromatics, may be used. 

CYPRIPEDIUM. 

The root of Cypripedium pubescens, or yellow lady's- 
slipper, a common indigenous plant, growing to the height 
of one or two feet, possesses mild antispasmodic proper- 
ties, and has been used as a substitute for valerian. Dose 
of the powdered root, gr. xv, three times a day. An infusion 
and tincture are also used: by precipitating the tincture, 
an oleoresin is obtained, of which the dose is half a grain 
to three grains. 

SCUTELLARIA — SKULLCAP. 

The herb of Scutellaria lateriflora (Nat. Ord. Labiatse), 
an indigenous perennial herb, growing to the height of one 
or two feet, with ovate, acute, dentate, petiolate, opposite 
leaves, and small pale-blue flowers, is considered by many 
American practitioners to possess valuable antispasmodic 
properties. An infusion (two troyounces to boiling water 
Oj) may be taken ad libitum ; and & fluid extract is also used. 

DRACONTIUM — SKUNK CABBAGE. 

Dracontium fcetidum, Symplocarpus fcetidus, or Skunk 
Cabbage (Wat. Ord. Orontiaceae), is an indigenous plant, 
growing in moist situations, which flowers in April and 
May, and afterwards sends up numerous large and luxu- 
riant leaves. The fresh root has a strong, fetid odor, and 
an acrid taste, but loses these properties by being kept. It is 
stimulant, antispasmodic, and narcotic, and is employed in 
hysteria, asthma, chronic catarrh, &c. Dose, gr. x to xx, 



MUSK. 81 

gradually increased. It is also given in the form of infu- 
sion. The leaves are used in the country to keep up the 
discharge from blistered surfaces, and to stimulate indo- 
lent ulcers. 

The well-known articles Tea and Coffee (Thea and 
Caffea), possess antispasmodic and exhilarant properties. 

MOSCHUS — MUSK. 

Musk is a peculiar concrete substance obtained from 
Moschus moschiferus, or the Musk Deer, an animal rather 
larger than the goat, and resembling the deer in its charac- 
ters, which inhabits the mountainous portions of Central 
Asia. The musk-bag is found only in the male, and lies 
between the umbilicus and prepuce. It is an oval pod, 
about two and a half inches long, and one and a half 
broad, flat on one side, and convex and hairy on the other, 
and in the full-grown animal contains from 5jss to 5vj, of 
a liquid secretion, which, when dried, is musk. Two 
kinds are known in commerce, the China and the Russia 
Musk, the former of which is much the stronger. 

Musk occurs in grains or lumps concreted together, of a 
reddish-brown color, and has usually some hairs of the 
pod mixed with it. It has a powerful diffusive, aromatic 
odor, and a bitterish taste. It is inflammable, leaving a 
light spongy charcoal. On analysis, it yields ammonia and 
a variety of other constituents, but the odorous principle 
has not been isolated. It is partially soluble in water and 
alcohol, and completely so in ether. 

Owing to its high price, musk is greatly sophisticated. 
Sometimes artificial pods are met with, which may be dis- 
tinguished from the genuine, by the absence of the remains 
of the penis and of an aperture in the middle of the hairy 
coat. The musk itself is more frequently adulterated, by 
mixture with dried blood, and a variety of substances. 
Indeed, little if any genuine musk is found in the shops. 

Effects and Uses. — Musk is a powerful excitant and anti- 

6 



82 MATERIA MEDICA. 

spasmodic, without much effect on the cerebral functions. 
If a pure article could be obtained, it would have no supe- 
rior as a direct antispasmodic in the treatment of essential 
nervous disorders — hysteria, epilepsy, chorea, and hic- 
cough, and as a combined excitant and antispasmodic in 
the latter stages of typhus. But it is now little prescribed, 
owing to the difficulty of procuring it good. 

Administration. — It may be given in the form of bolus or 
emulsion. Dose, gr. x, to be repeated every two or three 
hours. 

An article, termed Artificial Musk, is made by the 
addition of one part of rectified oil of amber to three parts 
of nitric acid. It resembles musk both in sensible and 
medicinal properties, and has been prescribed in its stead, 
in the same dose. . 



CASTOREUM — CASTOR. 

This is a peculiar concrete substance, found in mem- 
branous follicles, which exist between the anus and exter- 
nal genitals of the Castor fiber, or Beaver. It occurs in 
the form of solid unctuous masses, contained in pairs of 
sacs about two inches in length, of a brownish-black color 
externally, and of a reddish-brown color internally. It has 
a peculiar, penetrating, disagreeable smell, and a bitter, 
acrid, nauseous taste. It is soluble in alcohol and ether. 

Effects and Uses. — Castor is moderately excitant and an- 
tispasmodic, and is very analogous in its effects to musk. 
It is not much used. Dose of the substance, gr. x to gr. 
xx ; of the tincture (two troy ounces to alcohol Oij), f5j to 
fSij. 

OLEUM succini rectificatum — RECTIFIED oil of 

AMBER. 

Amber, Succinum, is a sort of fossil resin found in va- 
rious parts of the world, and comes to this country from 



COMPOUND SPIRIT OF ETHER. 83 

the shores of the Baltic. It is a hard, brittle substance. 



usually translucent, and of pale golden-yellow color, insi- 
pid, and inodorous, except when heated. By distillation, 
it yields an oil which, when rectified, is employed medici- 
nally. The oil is nearly colorless at first, but gradually be- 
comes brown, has a strong, peculiar odor, and a pungent, 
acrid taste. It is soluble in alcohol. An acid called suc- 
cinic is also obtained from amber. 

Effects and Uses. — Oil of amber is excitant and antispas- 
modic, and has been used in hysteria, epilepsy, tetanus, 
pertussis, and amenorrhoea. It is chiefly employed as an 
external application, and is a good remedy in pertussis, 
and convulsions of children. Dose of the oil, gtt. v to 
gtt, xv. For external use, it may be mixed with three or 
four parts of olive oil and brandy, with one part of lauda- 
num added. 



OLEUM JTHEREUM — ETHEREAL OIL. 

This preparation, known also as oil of wine, is a result 
of the distillation of alcohol with a large excess of sulphu- 
ric acid. It is a volatile liquid, of a yellowish color and 
peculiar odor, very sparingly soluble in water, but readily 
dissolved by alcohol or ether. It has antispasmodic pro- 
perties, but is used in medicine only as an ingredient of 
the compound spirit of ether. 



SPIRITUS^lTHERIS COMPOSITUS — COMPOUND SPIRIT 

OF ETHER. 

This preparation, known as Hoffman's Anodyne Liquor, 
is a solution of ethereal oil (f3vj), in ether (Oss), and alco- 
hol (Oj). It is a volatile liquid, with a burning, slightly 
sweetish taste, and the peculiar odor of ethereal oil. It 
becomes milky on being mixed with water, owing to the 
precipitation of the ethereal oil. 



84 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Effects and Uses. — Hoffman's Anodyne has the antispas- 
modic and excitant effects of ether, and derives additional 
tranquillizing and anodyne properties from the ethereal oil 
present. It is much used in hysteria, and is often added 
to laudanum, to prevent the nausea which the latter some- 
times excites. Dose, f3j to f5\j, in sweetened water. 



ORDER IV. — TONICS. 

Tonics, called also corroborants, are medicines which 
produce a gradual and permanent increase of nervous 
vigor. It is only, however, in certain conditions of dis- 
ease that they manifest this invigorating influence : as, in 
a state of health, they often act as irritants, stimulants, or 
even nauseants. Their local effects are similar to their 
general effects. They exalt the nervous functions of the 
parts to which they are applied, and increase their firm- 
ness and density. When taken into the stomach they pro- 
duce a twofold corroborant effect, improving the digestive 
powers by their local action, and strengthening the system 
generally by their cerebro-spinal influence. 

Tonics differ from stimulants in the more permanent 
character of their effects : " tonics give strength, stimu- 
lants call it forth." The more powerful tonics are closely 
allied to the narcotics in their action, producing, in over- 
doses, giddiness, loss of sight and of hearing, convulsions, 
delirium, and even death. And this analogy is farther 
illustrated by the curative powers of tonics in the relief of 
painful and spasmodic diseases, as neuralgia, rheumatism, 
chorea, and epilepsy. 

The articles of this class may be divided into vegetable 
and mineral tonics. The vegetable tonics are characterized 
by bitterness ; and it is said that they owe their bitterness 
and medicinal activity to a principle which has been termed 
hitter extractive. It is doubtful, however, whether any 
such proximate principle has really been obtained. The 



VEGETABLE TONICS* 85 

mineral tonics unite astringent with, tonic properties ; and 
the preparations of iron produce a further corroborant 
effect, by increasing the red coloring matter of the blood. 
The therapeutic application of tonics comprises a diver- 
sified range of diseases. They are employed as stomachics 
in dyspepsia, and as general corroborants in convalescence 
from acute diseases, in chronic affections accompanied by 
marasmus and cachexia, and in typhus and gangrene. But 
their most striking and valuable powers are shown in their 
febrifuge influence upon malarious diseases. The modus 
medendi here is obscure, but the curative agency is un- 
doubtedly due to a powerful impression upon the central 
organs of the nervous system. The anti-neuralgic and 
antispasmodic properties of tonics have already been al- 
luded to. They also enjoy considerable reputation in the 
treatment of chronic bowel-complaints, where they act by 
restoring tone to the debilitated intestinal tube ; and, on the 
other hand, they are often useful as laxatives in torpid con- 
ditions of the alimentary canal. 



VEGETABLE TONICS. 

The vegetable tonics may be arranged into three sec- 
tions, viz. : 1. The pure bitters. 2. The aromatic bitters, 
which contain a stimulant volatile oil, and are aromatic as 
well as tonic. 3. The astringent bitters, which contain 
tannic and gallic acids, and are both astringent and tonic : 
this group contains cinchona, the most powerful and im- 
portant of the vegetable tonics. The bitter principle is 
found also in many medicines belonging to other classes, 
as rhubarb, aloes, taraxacum, &c, and gives them tonic 
properties. 



86 MATERIA MEDICA. 

SIMPLE BITTERS. 
QUASSIA. 

Quassia is the wood of Simaruba excelsa (Nat. Ord. Sima- 
rubacese), a lofty tree of Jamaica and other West Indian 
islands. It is imported from the West Indies in billets of 
various sizes, which are found in the shops in the form of 
chips or raspings. Externally, it is covered with a smooth, 
brittle bark ; the wood is white, but becomes yellowish by 
exposure. It has no odor, but an intense permanently 
bitter taste. Water and alcohol extract its virtues, which 
are said to depend on a neutral principle termed quassin. 

The article originally known as Quassia was the root 
and wood of Quassia amara, a shrub of Surinam, but this 
does not now reach our markets. It is thought to have 
possessed much more decided tonic properties than the 
drug now found in commerce. 

Effects and Uses. — Quassia is a mild tonic, free from sti- 
mulant or astringent effects, and is employed principally in 
dyspepsia, Want of appetite, and other stomachic affections. 
It is much used to give additional bitterness to malt liquors. 
Dose, in powder 9j to 5j, three or four times a day; but the 
best form of administration is that of infusion (5ij to water 
Oj), in doses of fSjss to foiij. An extract (aqueous) is given 
in the dose of gr. v, but it is principally used as an exci- 
pient for the administration of the mineral tonics. Of the 
tincture (two troy ounces to diluted alcohol Oij), the dose is 
f5j to f5ij. 

SIMARUBA. 

Simaruba is the bark of the root of Simaruba officinalis 
(Nat. Ord. Simarubacese), a tall tree of Jamaica and many 
parts of South America. It occurs in long pieces of various 
sizes, which are much rolled or quilled, of a brownish- 



GOLDTHREAD. 



87 



yellow color externally, and yellow internally. It contains 
a bitter principle, analogous to quassin, and resembles 
quassia in its medicinal effects. 



COPTIS — GOLDTHREAD. 



Coptis trifolia, or Goldthread (Nat. Ord. Ranunculacese), 
is a small, evergreen, herbaceous plant, resembling the 

Fig. 5. 




strawberry-vine, with perennial creeping roots, slender 
stems, round, ternate leaves, and a single small white 
flower, which appears through the spring till midsummer. 
It belongs to the northern regions of America and Asia, 
and abounds in swampy places in Canada and New Eng- 
land. The parts used are the roots, which should be 
gathered in autumn, and carefully dried. They are of a 
bright-golden color, and give the name by which the plant 
is commonly known. They are thought to contain the 
alkaloid berberina. 



88 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Effects and Uses. — Goldthread is a pure and powerful 
bitter, similar in its effects to quassia, but much more 
palatable, and is a very good stomachic tonic. It is also 
employed in New England as a topical application in aph- 
thous and other ulcerations of the mouth. It is usually 
given in the form of tincture (one troyounce to diluted 
alcohol Oj), in the dose of f5j, and of infusion (half a troy- 
ounce to water Oj). 

GENTIAN A — GENTIAN. 

Gentian is the root of Gentiana lutea or Yellow Gen- 
tian (Nat Ord. Gentianacese), a perennial plant of the 
mountainous parts of Central and Southern Europe, grow- 
ing to the height of two or three feet, with broad, ovate, 
opposite leaves, and handsome whorled, yellow flowers. 
It is imported in cylindrical branched pieces, of various 
sizes, marked by transverse annular wrinkles and longitu- 
dinal furrows. Externally, it is yellowish-brown, inter- 
nally, brownish-yellow, and of a spongy texture. Its odor 
in the fresh state is peculiar and disagreeable, but when 
dried, feeble; its taste is intensely bitter. Water and 
alcohol extract its virtues. It contains a peculiar oil and 
acid, pectin, sugar, and a bitter principle, termed gentianin. 
Other species of gentian are employed as substitutes for 
the yellow gentian. 

Effects and Uses. — Gentian is a pure bitter, without either 
astringency or much aroma. In full doses, it is more dis- 
posed to relax the bowels than the other simple bitters; 
and like others of the vegetable tonics, in excessive doses 
it is capable of producing narcotic effects. It is an admir- 
able stomachic in dyspepsia and gastric disorders, and is 
also used in the various forms of constitutional debility. 

Administration. — In the form of powder, the dose is gr. x 
to Sss. But it is usually given in the form of infusion (half 
a troyounce to water f§xiv, with diluted alcohol foij, and 
orange-peel and coriander, each 5j); tincture (tinctura Gen- 



AMERICAN CENTAURY. 



89 



tianse composita, gentian two troy ounces, orange-peel a 
troyounce, cardamom half a troyounce, to diluted alcohol 
Oij), in the dose of f5j to f5ij ; extract, in the dose of gr. x 
to 5ss; and fluid extract, in the dose of f5ss-j. 

FRASERA — AMERICAN COLUMBO. 

The root of Frasera Walteri [Nat. Ord. Gentianacese), 
an elegant plant of our Southern and Western States, may 
be used as a substitute for gentian and columbo. Dose, 
5ss-5j ; or an infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj), 
may be given. 



SABBATIA — AMERICAN CENTAURY. 

Fig. 6. 




Sabbatia angularis, American Centaury, or Centaury 
(Nat. Ord. Gentianacese), is a very common annual indige- 



90 MATERIA MEDICA. 

nous plant, with an erect stem, one or two feet high, oppo- 
site ovate leaves, and numerous terminal flowers of a rich 
rose-color, nearly white in the centre. It is found in low 
meadow-grounds or neglected fields in most parts of the 
United States, and flowers in August and September. The 
whole herb is officinal, and should be gathered while in 
flower. It has a very bitter taste, and yields its virtues to 
both water and alcohol. 

Effects and Uses. — Centaury is a pure bitter, with no as- 
tringency, and very little aroma. It is an excellent sto- 
machic, and may be used also as a general corroborant. 
It is said to act as an emmenagogue when given in warm 
infusion, and, like the bitters generally, has had anthel- 
mintic properties ascribed to it. The best form of exhibit- 
ing it is infusion (a troy ounce, to boiling water Oj), of 
which the dose is a wineglassful when cool ; of the powder 
5ss to 5j may be given. 



CALUMBA — COLUMBO. 

Columbo is the root of Cocculus palmatus (Nat. Ord. 
Menispermacese), a climbing plant of Mozambique, where 
it is known under the name of Calumb. The root consists 
of fleshy tubers, with numerous offsets, which are the por- 
tions used, the main root being too fibrous. They are 
sliced, strung on cords, and dried in the sun; and are 
found in the shops in round pieces about a quarter of an 
inch thick, externally of a brown, wrinkled appearance, 
and internally yellow. The odor is slightly aromatic, and 
the taste very bitter. Owing to the starch which is found 
in columbo, it is liable to be worm-eaten. It contains, be- 
sides a large proportion of starch, a peculiar azotized sub- 
stance, and two bitter principles, colombin and berberina. 
Water and alcohol take up its virtues ; and from its liabi- 
lity to attract moisture from the air, it should not be kept 
in the form of powder. 



YELLOW-ROOT. 91 

Effects and Uses. — Columbo is a very agreeable demul- 
cent tonic, particularly acceptable to the stomach, and 
hence well adapted to the convalescent stages of acute dis- 
orders of the bowels and of fevers. It is also a good pre- 
paration in the sickness of pregnant women, and is one of 
the best of the stomachics in all cases where there is unu- 
sual delicacy of the stomach. In its native country, it is 
much employed in the treatment of dysentery. 

Administration. — The dose of the powder is gr. x to gr. 
xxx. It is best given in the form of infusion (half a troy- 
ounce to boiling water Oj, dose, fgj to fSij), which should 
be used at once, as it is liable to spoil. Of the tincture 
(four troy ounces to diluted alcohol Oij), fSj to fSiv may be 
given. Columbo is often combined with aromatics, iron, 
and alkalies, and is sometimes added to purgative mixtures. 

Berberina, the alkaloid found in columbo, is widely dif- 
fused in the vegetable kingdom, and is obtained from nu- 
merous plants of the natural orders JBerberacece, Menisper- 
macece, and Hanunculacece, as barberry, yellow-root, hydras- 
tis, goldthread, and others. It has been employed, in the 
form of muriate and sulphate, as a tonic and febrifuge, in 
doses of from one to ten grains. 

CHIRETTA. 

The herb and root of Agathotes Chirayta (Nat Ord. 
Gentianaceae), an East Indian plant, have been introduced 
into Europe, under the name of Chiretta, where it now 
ranks among the best simple bitters. It resembles gentian 
in its properties, and may be used in the same way. 

XANTHORRIZA — YELLOW-ROOT. 

The root of Xanthorriza Apiifolia (Nat. Ord. Ranuncu- 
laceae), an indigenous shrub, of our Southern and Western 
States, is a good simple bitter, which agrees very well with 
the stomach. 



92 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



AROMATIC BITTERS. 



SERPENTARIA — VIRGINIA SNAKEROOT. 



The roots of several species of Aristolochia are known 
under the name of Virginia Snakeroot. The most fami- 
liar is A. serpentaria (Nat. Ord. Aristolochiacese), an her- 

Fig. 7. 




baceous indigenous plant, with a perennial root, composed 
of numerous slender fibres, arising from a knotty, brown 
head, one or more stems, eight or ten inches in height, 



CHAMOMILE. 93 

heart-shaped, pointed, yellowish-green leaves, and purple, 
tubular flowers, springing up close to the root. It grows 
in shady woods and on hill-sides, flowering in May and 
June ; but from the great demand for the roots, it has be- 
come scarce. A. reticulata is a variety found in the South- 
western States. 

Virginia Snakeroot is found in the shops, in tufts of 
long, slender, matted fibres, attached to a knotty, rugged 
head. They are brittle, and of a yellowish-brown color. 
The odor is aromatic and agreeable ; the taste somewhat 
pungent, bitter, and aromatic. Water and alcohol extract 
its virtues, which depend on the presence of a volatile oil 
and a bitter principle. The roots of A. reticulata are very 
commonly substituted for those of A. serpentaria, from 
which they differ only in the larger size of their fibres. 
They are quite equal to the latter, and are even thought to 
contain a larger proportion of volatile oil. 

Effects and Uses. — Virginia Snakeroot is a combined sti- 
mulant and tonic, with diuretic or diaphoretic properties, 
according to the mode of its administration. It is much 
used in the latter stages of fevers, and in other acute dis- 
eases, and is frequently combined with Peruvian bark, in 
the treatment of intermit/tents. The proper form of ad- 
ministration is that of infusion (half a troyounce to boiling 
water Oj), in doses of fgj to f§ij, repeated. Of the tinc- 
ture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), the dose is 
f5j to f5ij ; of the fluid extract, f5ss-f3j. Huxhairi's Tinc- 
ture of Bark contains Virginia Snakeroot. 



ANTHEMIS — CHAMOMILE. 

Anthemis nobilis, or Chamomile (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae), 
is a small, herbaceous, trailing European plant, cultivated 
extensively both in Europe and this country. The flowers 
are the officinal portion. They consist of small spheroids, 
with convex, yellow disks, and numerous white, spreading 



94 MATERIA MEDICA. 

rays. By cultivation they become double ; but in Europe 
the single flowers are preferred, as the tonic properties re- 
side in the disks, which are larger in the single-flowered 
wild plants. Chamomile flowers have a bitter, aromatic 
taste, and a strong, peculiar odor, 'both of which are im- 
parted to water and alcohol. They contain a volatile oil, 
bitter extractive, and a little tannic acid. 

Effects and Uses. — Chamomile, in small doses, is a mild, 
agreeable aromatic tonic, and in large doses, acts as an 
emetic. The cold infusion is much employed as a sto- 
machic, and the hot infusion is given to aid the operation 
of emetics. The flowers, boiled in warm water, form a 
good fomentation to inflamed parts. The usual form of 
administration is the infusion (half a troyounce to water 
Oj). Dose, as a stomachic, fgij, two or three times a day, 
cold ; as an emetic, hot, ad libitum. 

Cotula [Mayweed). Anthemis cotula, Wild chamomile, 
or Mayweed (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae), an herbaceous plant, 
indigenous in Europe, but extensively naturalized in the 
United States, resembles chamomile very closely, both in 
botanical characters and properties, and is used as a sub- 
stitute for it in domestic practice. 

Matricaria (German Chamomile). The flowers of Ma- 
tricaria chamomilla (Nat. Ord. Asteracese), an annual Eu- 
ropean plant, possess properties very similar to those of 
chamomile. They are considerably smaller than common 
chamomile, and have a larger proportion of disk florets 
compared with those of the ray. They are not much em- 
ployed in this country. 



EUPATORIUM — THOROUGH WORT. 

Eupatorium perfoliatum, Boneset, or Thoroughwort (Nat. 
Ord. Asteracese), is a very common indigenous plant, grow- 
ing in wet grounds in every part of the United States. It 



THOROUGHWORT. 



95 



has a perennial root, with numerous herbaceous stems, 
from two to five feet high, long, narrow leaves, perforated 
by the stems, and numerous white flowers, which form a 



Pig. 8. 




flattened summit to the plant. These appear in August, 
continuing in bloom till October, and, with the leaves, are 
the officinal portion. They have a faint odor, a strongly 
bitter taste, are soluble in water or alcohol, and contain a 
peculiar bitter principle, gum, tannic acid, resin, salts, and 
other matters. 

Effects and Uses. — Thoroughwort is a stimulant tonic, 
diaphoretic, and expectorant, and in large doses proves 
emetic and laxative. It is a good stomachic in dyspepsia, 
and, from its combined corroborant, expectorant, and dia- 
phoretic properties, is an excellent remedy in the latter 
stages of pneumonia and bronchitis. It is also used with 



96 MATERIA MEDICA. 

good effect in rheumatism, and in remittent and typhoid 
fevers. It should be given in infusion (a troyounce to boil- 
ing water Oj), f§ij of which may be taken cold, as a sto- 
machic, three or four times a day, and in freer warm 
draughts, as a diaphoretic. 



ABSINTHIUM — WORMWOOD. 

The tops and leaves of Artemisia Absinthium, or Worm- 
wood (Nat. Ord. Asteracese), a European plant, naturalized 
in New England, are ranked among the aromatic bitters, 
but are not now much employed. They may be given in 
infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj). 



MAGNOLIA. 

The bark of Magnolia glauca, Magnolia acuminata, and 
Magnolia tripelata (Nat. Ord. Magnoliacese), indigenous 
trees, remarkable for the beauty of their foliage, and the 
size and fragrance of their flowers, is officinal, and ranks 
with the aromatic bitters. The bark of the trunk, branches, 
and root, is alike officinal ; but that of the last is the most 
active. It contains a volatile oil, a green resin, and a pe- 
culiar crystallizable bitter principle. The aromatic pro- 
perty is impaired by drying, and is lost when the bark is 
long kept. • 

It is used as a gentle stimulant tonic, and diaphoretic, 
in the low stages of fever, rheumatism, &c. An infusion 
may be given, but the best solvent is diluted alcohol. 



LIRI0DENDR0N — TULIP-TREE BARK. 

The bark of Liriodendron tulipifera, the Tulip-Tree, or 
American Poplar (Nat. Ord. Magnoliacese), the well-known 
pride of the American forest, remarkable for its size, fo- 
liage, and beautiful tulip-shaped flowers, closely resembles 



CASCARILLA. 97 

that of magnolia in its medicinal properties, but is less 
aromatic and more stimulant. It is said to contain a pe- 
culiar principle, termed Kriodendrin. It may be given in 
powder, in the dose of 3j to 5\j ; and in infusion, decoction, 
and tincture. 



ANGUSTURA — ANGUSTURA BARK. 

Angustura bark is derived from Galipea officinalis (Nat. 
Ord. Rutaceae), a small tree of the district of country bor- 
dering on the Orinoco, in South America. It occurs in 
pieces of various lengths and sizes ; sometimes flat, some- 
times slightly curved, but rarely entirely quilled. Exter- 
nally, it is of a light-gray color, and is covered with lichens, 
with a soft, spongy epidermis, which is readily scraped off; 
internally, the color is yellowish-brown. It has a disagree- 
able smell, and a bitter, aromatic, somewhat pungent taste. 
It imparts its virtues to water and alcohol, and contains a 
volatile oil and a bitter principle, termed cusparin. The 
bark of Strychnos nux vomica has been sometimes mixed 
with Angustura bark, and is thence known as false angus- 
tura bark. 

Effects and Uses. — Angustura bark is a stimulating tonic, 
and in large doses acts on the stomach and bowels. From 
its liability to adulteration with the bark of Strychnos nux 
vomica, it has fallen into disuse, and it has no superiority 
over serpentaria and others of the indigenous aromatic bit- 
ters. Dose, in powder, gr. x to 5ss ; of the infusion (half a 
troyounce to boiling water Oj), f§ij, repeated. 



CASCARILLA. 



This is the bark of Croton Eleuteria (Nat. Ord. Euphor- 
biaceee), a small tree of the Bahamas and other West India 
islands. It occurs sometimes in the form of small, thin 

7 



98 MATERIA MEDICA. 

fragments — sometimes in that of rolled pieces, one or two 
inches long, occasionally longer, and varying in size from 
that of a qnill to that of the little finger. It is nsnally 
covered with a white rngons epidermis, and is of a brown 
color beneath. It has a warm, spicy, and bitter taste, and 
an aromatic, agreeable odor, which is particularly fragrant 
when it is burned. It yields its properties to alcohol, and 
partially to water ; and contains volatile oil, resin, and a 
bitter principle, called cascarillin. 

Effects and Uses. — Cascarilla is a very pleasant aromatic 
bitter, causing neither vomiting or purging, and hence 
agreeing very well with the stomach. It may be given in 
poivder in the dose of 3j to 5ss ; but this is a less agreeable 
form than the infusion (a troy ounce to boiling water Oj), 
of which the dose is fgij. 



CANELLA. 

This is the bark of Canella alba (Nat. Ord. Meliaceee), a 
large tree of the West Indies and South America. It 
comes in quilled pieces of a whitish-yellow color, or in flat 
fragments, which are thicker and darker. It has an aro- 
matic odor, and a warm, pungent, aromatic, and somewhat 
bitter taste. It imparts its virtues to alcohol, and partially 
to water ; and contains volatile oil, resin, bitter extractive, 
gum, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — An aromatic tonic, little employed ex- 
cept in combination. Pulvis Aloes et Canellce (Poivder of 
Aloes and Canella), popularly known as hierapicra, consists 
of aloes four parts, canella one pari; dose, gr. x to 3j. 



ACHILLEA — YARROW. 

The herb and flowers of Achillea Millefolium, Milfoil, 
or Yarrow (Nat. Ord. Composite Senecionideae), a perennial 



PERUVIAN BARK. 99 

herb, common to the old and new continents, growing to 
the height of twelve or eighteen inches, with doubly pin- 
nate, minutely divided leaves, and whitish flowers, pos- 
sesses mild stimulant tonic properties, with some astrin- 
gency. Of the infusion, made in the proportion of an 
ounce to the pint, a wineglassful or more may be given. 
It yields a volatile oil, which has been used in the dose of 
20 or 30 drops. 



ANGELICA. 

The root of Angelica Archangelica (Nat. Ord. Apiacese), 
a plant of the northern and mountainous sections of 
Europe, is used as a stimulant tonic, in the dose of 5ss-5j ; 
or an infusion may be given. 



ASTRINGENT BITTERS. 
CINCHONA — PERUVIAN BARK. 

The name Cinchona (derived from the Countess del 
Cinchon, wife of a viceroy of Peru) is applied to the bark 
of different species of Cinchona (Nat. Ord. Cinchonacese), 
large trees which grow in the mountainous regions of the 
western portion of South America, from the nineteenth 
degree of south latitude to about the tenth degree of north 
latitude. Three principal varieties of cinchona are known 
in commerce : Cinchona Flava ( Yellow Bark), called in 
commerce Calisaya Bark, derived principally from Cin- 
chona Calisaya, and, in some quantity also, from C. Boli- 
viana; Cinchona Pallida (Pale Bark), called in commerce 
Loxa and Lima Bark, derived from Cinchona Condaminea 
and Cinchona Micrantha; and Cinchona Rubra (Red 
Bark), derived from Cinchona Succirubra. 

Peruvian Bark is brought to the United States from the 



100 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Pacific ports of South America. It is obtained by strip- 
ping the trunks and branches of the Cinchona trees during 
the dry season, and is dried by exposure to the sun, during 
which process it usually becomes quilled. 

1. The Yellow or Calisaya Bark comes both in quilled and 
flat pieces. The former are from three or four inches to a 
foot and a half long, from a quarter of an inch to two or 
three inches in diameter, and of variable thickness. They 
have a brownish epidermis (with longitudinal wrinkles and 
transverse fissures), which possesses none of the virtues of 
the bark. The bark itself is one or two lines thick, com- 
pact, of a short fibrous texture, and when broken presents 
shining points. The flat pieces, which are derived from the 
large branches and trunk, are usually destitute of epi- 
dermis, are more roughly marked externally, and are of a 
browner hue than the quilled pieces. They are also less 
compact, less bitter, and of less medicinal virtue. The 
yellow bark is distinguished from the other barks by its 
much more bitter taste ; its comparative freedom from as- 
tringency; its brownish-yellow, somewhat orange color, 
which is still brighter in the powder ; and by containing a 
large proportion of quinia with very little cinchonia. 

2. The Pale Bark comes in cylindrical pieces of variable 
length, sometimes singly, sometimes doubly quilled, from 
two lines to an inch in diameter, and from half a line to 
two or three lines in thickness — the best kinds being about 
the size of a goose-quill. Their exterior surface is rough, 
marked with fissures, and of a grayish color, owing to ad- 
hering lichens. Their interior surface is of a cinnamon 
color, and, in the finer sorts, smooth. The color of the 
powder is a pale fawn. The taste is moderately bitter, and 
somewhat astringent ; the odor feeble, but rather aromatic 
in the powder and decoction. The pale barks contain a 
much larger proportion of cinchonia than of quinia ; and, from 
their yielding little quinia, have fallen into disuse in the 
United States. 

3. The Red Bark usually comes in large, thick, flat 



PERUVIAN BARK. 101 

pieces ; sometimes also in quills from half an inch to two 
inches in diameter. They are covered with a reddish- 
brown, rugged epidermis, beneath which is a dark-red, 
brittle, and compact layer, the interior parts being woody 
and fibrous, and of a lively brownish-red color. The taste 
of red bark is bitter and astringent; its odor not different 
from that of the other barks ; its powder is reddish. It 
contains considerable quantities both of quinia and cinchonia. 

Under the name of Carthagena Barks, several common 
varieties of cinchona were long brought to this country 
from the northern Atlantic ports of South America. They 
were of inferior quality, and were therefore not recognized 
by the Pharmacopoeias ; but since the reduced supply and 
consequent high price of the Calisaya bark, large quanti- 
ties of very good bark have been imported from New Gra- 
nada, and are now largely used in the manufacture of 
quinia, under the name of Colombian barks. 

Within a few years, the cultivation of several varieties 
of Cinchona trees has been successfully introduced into 
Southern India ; and valuable specimens of red bark (the 
product of C. Succirubra), equal to that of South America, 
have been sent to Europe. 

Chemical Constituents. — The most important constituents 
of cinchona are two alkaline principles, termed quinia and 
cinchonia, which exist in combination with an acid called 
kinic. These alkalies are found in different proportions in 
the different barks, quinia being obtained from the yellow 
bark most abundantly, cinchonia from the pale bark, and 
the two principles in about equal proportion from the red 
bark. Two other valuable alkaloids, quinidia and cincho- 
nidia, are found (also as kinates) most abundantly in the pale 
and Carthagena barks; but, to a certain extent, in all. 
Other principles found in cinchona are tannic acid, color- 
ing matter, kinovic acid, starch, fatty matter, kinate of 
lime, lignin, &c. Gum is found in the pale bark, but not 
in the yellow or red barks. 

Quinia is obtained in the following manner : Powdered 



102 MATERIA MEDICA. 

yellow bark is boiled in water acidulated with muriatic 
acid, by which the alkali is separated from its combination 
with kinic acid, to form a soluble muriate. By the addi- 
tion of lime, this salt is decomposed, and quinia precipi- 
tated. It is separated from insoluble impurities by diges- 
tion in boiling alcohol, and, after being concentrated, is 
decolorized by means of animal charcoal. Or, it may be 
obtained by heating the sulphate with an alkaline solution. 
It is whitish, and usually nocculent, inodorous, bitter, al- 
most insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, ether, and 
the fixed and volatile oils. It unites with acids to form 
salts, the most important of which is the officinal salt, the 
sulphate. Quinia and its salts may be distiDguished from 
all other vegetable alkalies and their salts (excepting qui- 
nidia), by striking an emerald-green color, when heated 
first with solution of chlorine and then with ammonia. 
Cinchonia is a white crystalline substance, less bitter than 
quinia, almost insoluble in cold water, very soluble in boil- 
ing alcohol, and slightly soluble in ether and the fixed and 
volatile oils. It is distinguishable from quinia by striking 
a white precipitate, when chlorine water and afterwards 
ammonia are added ; with ferrocyanide of potassium, a 
yellowish-white precipitate ensues. The medicinal proper- 
ties of quinia and cinchonia are analogous, and the sul- 
phate of cinchonia is now officinal. Quinidia is isomeric 
with quinia, but more crystallizable and less soluble in 
ether ; its salts strike a white precipitate with solution of 
iodide of potassium. Cinchonidia is isomeric with cincho- 
nia. It is usually found mixed with quinidia, the mixture 
being known as commercial quinidia. The commercial sul- 
phate of quinidia (which is more soluble in water and al- 
cohol than the sulphate of quinia), may be used as a sub- 
stitute for the latter salt. 

Incompatibles. — The alkalies and alkaline earths precipi- 
tate the alkaline principles of cinchona ; tannic acid forms 
with them insoluble compounds. 

Physiological Effects. — The topical effects of cinchona are 



PERUVIAN BARK. 103 

slightly irritant, and, from the tannic acid which it con- 
tains, astringent. Its constitutional action upon persons in 
health, results in a disordered condition of the stomach, 
and of the vascular and cerebro-spinal systems, as shown 
by gastro- enteric irritation, fever, headache, and giddiness. 
But, in persons suffering from debility, it proves a most 
energetic stomachic and corroborant; and over certain 
morbid conditions, as malarious and other fevers, it exer- 
cises a control more striking than is shown by any other 
medicinal agent, in the treatment of diseases. 

Medicinal Uses. — The most important therapeutic em- 
ployment of bark is as a febrifuge in the treatment of fe- 
vers of a malarious origin. Its efficacy in these diseases 
was first made known to the world by the Jesuit missiona- 
ries in Peru, from whom it was called Jesuit's powder. The 
type of malarious fever in which the powers of bark are 
most strikingly displayed, is intermittent; the non-malig- 
nant and uncomplicated forms of which it rarely if ever 
fails to control. It may be given in these cases almost 
from the very onset of the attack, unless contraindicated 
by the presence of gastric irritability, which must be first 
removed by an emetic or mercurial purge. In remittent 
fevers, bark is scarcely less useful than in intermittents ; and 
most physicians who practise in malarious districts, now 
concur in recommending its exhibition in these fevers, as 
soon as it can be borne well by the stomach, without wait- 
ing for a remission. In the pernicious or congestive forms of 
intermittent and remittent fevers, the early administration 
of large doses of bark or its preparation, the sulphate of 
quinia, in combination with stimulants, is imperatively de- 
manded. As a prophylactic against malarious fever, the 
use of the preparations of bark is very efficacious. In the 
varieties of typhus, including that termed cerebro-spinal 
meningitis, the salts of quinia, in full doses, constitute the 
most efficacious treatment, in conjunction with abundant 
stimulation and nourishment. In yellow fever, the declin- 
ing stages of typhoid fever, the malignant exanthemata, 



104 MATERIA MEDICA. 

gangrene, malignant erysipelas, carbuncle, extensive sup- 
purations, the typhoid forms of diseases generally, the hec- 
tic of phthisis, acute rheumatism, diarrhoea, dysentery, and 
cholera, and various disorders of the nervous system, as 
neuralgia, tetanus, and chorea, bark and its preparations 
are constantly employed. It is also much used as a sto- 
machic and general tonic, but where gastric susceptibility 
exists, as in convalescence from acute diseases, some of the 
simple bitters are preferable. Topically, bark is employed 
as an astringent and antiseptic. 

Administration. — The use of bark, in powder, since the 
discovery of the sulphate of quinia, has been very much 
abandoned, owing to its bulk and disagreeable taste. 
When exhibited in this form, half a troyounce to an ounce 
is the dose as a febrifuge, given usually in divided doses ; 
as a tonic, 5j. The following officinal preparations are 
employed : decoction (a troyounce of yellow or red bark to 
Oj of water, to be boiled for ten minutes, and aromatic 
sulphuric acid f5j maybe afterwards added), dose, fgij, 
repeated ; infusion (a troyounce of yellow or red bark to 
water Oj , to which aromatic sulphuric acid f 5j may be 
added), dose, fgij, repeated; extract (of yellow bark), dose 
gr. x to gr. xxx, equivalent to 5j of bark; fluid extract 
(yellow), dose, f5ij, equal 5j of bark; tincture (six troy- 
ounces of yellow bark to diluted alcohol Oij), dose, f3j to 
f5iv; compound tincture or Huxham's tincture (containing 
red bark with Virginia snakeroot and aromatics), dose f5j 
to f 5iv. In prescribing bark, opium or port wine is often 
given with it, when it acts on the bowels. It is also occa- 
sionally combined with serpentaria. And, when the sto- 
mach will not retain it, it has been used externally in the 
form of cataplasmata, pediluvia, bark-jackets, &c, though for 
external use, the endermic exhibition of the sulphate of 
quinia is the ordinary resort. 

Quinle Sulphas (Sulphate of Quinia). This salt is pre- 
pared by treating quinia (as obtained from yellow bark in 



PERUVIAN BARK. 105 

the process described at p. 102), with sulphuric acid. It 
occurs in fine, silky, rather flexible, needle-shaped crys- 
tals (interlaced among one another, or grouped in small 
star-like tufts), which are odorless, very bitter, and slightly 
efflorescent. It is soluble in boiling water, alcohol, and 
the diluted acids, very slightly soluble in ether and in 
cold water, but, by the addition of sulphuric acid, it is con- 
verted into a more soluble neutral sulphate. The offi- 
cinal sulphate is chemically a disulphate or subsulphate, con- 
sisting of two equivalents of base to one of acid. Various 
substances are mixed as adulterations with the sulphate of 
quinia. They may be detected by adverting to their rela- 
tive solubility in different menstrua, as compared with the 
sulphate, or by chemical tests. Thus gum and starch are 
left behind by alcohol; salicin becomes red on contact with 
sulphuric acid, &c. 

Effects and Uses.'— The effects of sulphate of quinia on 
the system are the same as those of Peruvian bark, and, 
from its being less apt to disagree with the stomach, it has 
to a great extent superseded the use of the latter. In 
large doses it produces headache, ringing of the ears, and 
sometimes vertigo, amaurosis, deafness, delirium, and 
other evidences of a powerful action on the cerebro-spinal 
system. 

Administration. — The ordinary dose of the sulphate of 
quinia, as a febrifuge, is gr. xij, equal to about gj of bark, 
but as much as twenty grains, and even more, are often 
required; as a general tonic, gr. j to gr. vj. It maybe 
. given in pill, or dissolved in some aromatic water, by the 
aid of aromatic sulphuric acid ; also as an enema, or en- 
dermically. The solution has been used externally in go- 
norrhoea, &c. Many other salts of quinia than the sul- 
phate have been introduced into practice, but they possess 
no advantage over the officinal salt. 

Quinia Valekianas ( Valerianate of Quinia), is obtained 
by dissolving freshly precipitated quinia in diluted valeria- 
nic acid. It occurs in transparent or white rhomb oidal 



106 MATERIA MEDICA. 

crystals, of the peculiar odor of valerianic acid, and an 
acrid, bitter taste. Soluble in alcohol and ether, and par- 
tially soluble in water. It fulfils the indications of quinia 
and valerianic acid, and is therefore especially useful in 
nervous disorders. 

Crude Quinia is the impure quinia obtained from the 
manufacturer, before separation from the insoluble impu- 
rities. It is a soft solid, of resinous aspect, nearly free 
from bitterness, and may be given to children in the same 
doses as the sulphate. 

Quinoidia, quinodin, or amorphous quinia, is a substance ob- 
tained by precipitation, with an alkaline carbonate, from 
the mother liquor left after the preparation of sulphate of 
quinia. When moderately heated, it appears as a resinous 
mass, of a yellowish- white or brownish color, which, accord- 
ing to Liebig, is identical in composition with ordinary 
quinia, to which it bears the same relation that uncrystal- 
lizable sugar bears to the crystallizable. It is considered 
equally efficacious with quinia, but requires doses rather 
larger than the sulphate of quinia, than which it is much 
more economical. 

Cinchonle Sulphas (Sulphate of Cinchonia), is made from 
the mother waters remaining after the crystallization of 
sulphate of quinia. Being the most soluble of the sul- 
phates of the four alkaloids found in bark, it remains in 
solution after the sulphate of quinia, and the mixed sul- 
phate of cinchonidia and quinidia, have crystallized out. 
From the mother waters, it is precipitated by solution of 
soda, then washed with alcohol, next reconverted into a 
sulphate, and boiled with animal charcoal to decolorize it. 
It occurs in short, oblique, shining prisms, of a very bit- 
ter taste, more soluble in water than the sulphate of qui- 
nia, readily soluble by alcohol, and sparingly so by ether. 
It is a disulphate. It is now admitted to have the same 
remedial properties as the sulphate of quinia, but requires 
rather larger doses. 



DOGWOOD. 



107 



CORNUS FLORIDA — DOGWOOD. 



Cornus Florida, or Dogwood (Nat. Ord. Cornacese), is 
an indigenous tree, found in most parts of the United 
States, and growing in the Middle States to the height of 

Pig. 9. 




from fifteen to twenty feet. Its flowers are remarkable 
for large four-leaved white or pinkish involucres, which 
appear with us in May. The officinal portion is the bark, 
that of the root being preferred. It occurs in pieces of 
various sizes, more or less rolled, of a reddish-gray color, 
with occasionally a fawn-colored epidermis. Its odor is 
slight ; its taste bitter, astringent, and slightly aromatic. 
It yields its virtues to water and alcohol, and contains re- 
sin, a peculiar bitter principle, tannic and gallic acids, &c. 



108 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Effects and Uses. — Dogwood is deservedly esteemed the 
best substitute for cinchona among the native astringent 
bitters. It is somewhat stimulant, and not unfrequently 
disorders the stomach. Dose, in powder, 3j to 5j ; of the 
decoction (a troy ounce to water Oj), fgij may be given. 



SALIX — WILLOW. . 

The bark of Salix alba, or the White Willow (Nat. Ord. 
Salicacese), is ranked among the astringent bitters. It is 
little employed, however, except in the form of salicin, its 
active principle, which consists of white, slender, silky 
crystals, inodorous, but very bitter, soluble in water and 
alcohol, but not in ether. It has been used as a substitute 
for the sulphate of quinia, but is very inferior to it as a 
febrifuge. As a general tonic, however, it is useful, and 
may be given in the dose of from gr. x to gr. xxx. The 
sulphate of quinia is often adulterated with salicin, but the 
fraud may be detected by the addition of sulphuric acid, 
which strikes a blood-red color with salicin. 



PRUNUS VIRGINIANA — WILD-CHERRY BARK. 

The wild-cherry has long been known under the name 
of Prunus Virginiana, which is still retained by the Phar- 
macopoeia. This name, however, belongs to another tree, 
the choke-cherry; and the wild-cherry is now properly 
distinguished as Cerasus serotina (Nat. Ord. Drupacese). It 
is a large indigenous tree, attaining a great height and size 
in the Southwestern States, but usually with us about 
twenty-five to thirty feet high. The trunk is covered with 
a rough blackish bark, which detaches itself semicircu- 
larly; the leaves are ovate, oblong, and acuminate; the 
flowers, which appear in May, are white, and are followed 
by fruit about the size of a pea, of a purplish black color, 



NECTANDRA. 109 

and a not unpleasant bitterish taste. The medicinal portion 
is the inner bark of the root and tree, the former of which 
is the more active. It is found in the shops, in pieces of 
various lengths and sizes, deprived of the epidermis, and 
slightly curved, of a reddish-brown color, and a bitter aro- 
matic taste. 

It contains a bitter principle, resin, starch, and tannic 
and gallic acids, and yields on distillation a volatile oil, 
nearly identical with the oil of bitter almonds, which does 
not pre-exist in the bark, but is formed by the action of 
water on amygdalin, as in the almond. The leaves also 
yield this oil. Boiling water impairs the virtues of the 
bark. 

Effects and Uses. — Wild-cherry bark is tonic, with some 
astringency, and at the same time exercises a sedative in- 
fluence on the nervous and circulatory systems, owing to 
the hydrocyanic acid, which is developed in it. It is. used 
with excellent effect as a sedative corroborant in various 
forms of pulmonary irritation, particularly in the latter 
stages of pneumonia, and in the hectic of phthisis. It is 
also a useful stomachic and tonic in a variety of cases. 
The proper form of administration is the infusion (half a 
troyounce to cold water Oj), in the dose of f§ij twice or 
thrice daily. Of the fluid extract (alcoholic), the dose is 
f5j-ij. The syrwp is an agreeable preparation; dose, fgss. 



NECTANDRA. 

The bark of Nectandra Rodiei [Nat Ord. Lauracese), 
the Greenheart tree, a large tree of Guiana, and the neigh- 
boring countries of South America, has, within a few 
years been introduced into medicine, under the name of 
bebeeru bark. It occurs in large, flat, heavy pieces, one to 
two feet long, from two to six inches broad, and three or 
four lines thick, of a grayish-brown color on its outer sur- 
face, and a dark cinnamon on the inner. It has an in- 



110 MATERIA MEDICA. 

tensely bitter, somewhat astringent taste, and contains 
tannic acid, resin, gum, &c, and a peculiar alkaloid, 
termed bebeerin or bebeeria. Bebeeru bark is employed as 
a febrifuge and tonic in South America, and the sulphate 
of bebeerin has been used in Europe and this country with 
some success in the treatment of intermittent fevers. The 
full dose is 3j-5j. 

The roots of Geum rivale, or Water Avens, and Spi- 
raea tomentosa, or Hardback (Mat. Ord. Rosacea), and the 
bark of Prinos verticillatus, or Black Alder (Nat. Ord. 
Aquifolacese), are indigenous astringent tonics of conside- 
rable power. 

MINERAL TONICS. 
EERRI PRJEPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF IRON. 

The preparations of Iron (Ferruginea), termed also Cha- 
lybeates and Martial preparations, are the most important 
of the mineral tonics. Besides their local tonic-astringent 
effect and their general corroborant action on the cerebro- 
spinal system, which they possess in common with the 
other mineral tonics, they exercise a restorative influence 
on the composition of the blood, by increasing the number 
of its coloring particles, and the amount of its solid con- 
stituents. Their effects are best observed in conditions of 
the system in which there is a want of these elements of 
the blood. Under the use of chalybeates, in such cases, 
while the digestive functions are promoted, the pulse be- 
comes fuller and stronger, the skin assumes a healthy tint, 
the lips and cheeks become more florid, the temperature 
of the body is increased, and the muscular strength is 
greatly invigorated. On the other hand, the administra- 
tion of the ferruginous preparations in health, or too long- 
continued, produces symptoms of plethora, vascular ex- 
citement, and a tendency to congestion and hemorrhage. 



PREPARATIONS OF IRON. Ill 

The diseases in which, chalybeates are most serviceable, 
are those which depend on a deficiency of the red corpus- 
cles of the blood, as the various forms of ancemia, particu- 
larly where this is connected with irregularity of the ute- 
rine functions; also scrofula, tuberculosis, and cachectic 
conditions of the system, characterized by a pale flabby 
condition of the solids. Many forms of nervous disorder, 
as neuralgia, chorea, hysteria, and epilepsy, are very deci- 
dedly controlled by the preparations of iron, and they pro- 
bably constitute the best remedies in these affections, when 
attended with anaemia. Several of the preparations of iron 
are also much employed both as stomachics and astrin- 
gents. 

The following are the officinal preparations of iron : 

Ferrum Kedactum (Reduced Iron). Metallic iron is ob- 
tained for medicinal purposes in the form of an impalpable 
powder, by reducing the sesquioxide (officinally subcarbo- 
nate) by passing a stream of hydrogen gas over it. It is a 
light, tasteless, iron-gray powder, and should be kept in a 
well-stopped bottle, owing to its great liability to oxida- 
tion. This preparation, sometimes called Quevenne's 
Iron, is a mild chalybeate, and is a favorite prescription 
with many practitioners, in the treatment of chlorosis and 
other varieties of anaemia. Dose, gr. v to gr. x, three times 
a day, in the form of pill, made with sugar and gum ; it is 
sometimes prepared with chocolate in the form of lozenges. 

Ferri Oxidum Hydratum (Hydrated Oxide of Iron). This 
preparation is made by precipitating the sesquioxide from 
its combination in any tersalt of iron by means of am- 
monia. Officinally, the tersulphate of iron is employed 
for this purpose. When dry, it is a reddish-brown powder, 
and is not considered an eligible preparation for medical 
use. It is kept in the shops, in the form of a soft, moist, 
reddish-brown magma, for use as an antidote to arsenious 
acid. 

Ferri Subcarbonas (Subcarbonate of Iron). This salt is 
obtained by the double reaction of solutions of sulphate of 



112 MATEEIA MEDICA. 

iron and carbonate of soda. It is at first a white precipi- 
tate ; but by exposure to the air it becomes greenish, and 
afterwards rust-colored, being converted into the sesqui- 
oxide by the absorption of oxygen, and the evolution of 
carbonic acid. It has a disagreeable, slightly styptic taste, 
is insoluble in water, but readily dissolves in hydrochloric 
and sulphuric acids, and carbonic acid water. It is one of 
the most valuable of the ferruginous compounds, free from 
local irritation, and readily dissolved in the fluids of the 
stomach ; and is much employed in chlorosis, chorea, neu- 
ralgia, and even pertussis and tetanus. Dose, gr. v to gr. 
xxx, three times a day. 

Trochisci Ferri Carbonatis ( Troches of Subcarbonate of Iron), 
made with vanilla, sugar, and mucilage of tragacanth, are 
a pleasant preparation ; each lozenge contains about five 
grains of the subcarbonate. 

Emplastrum Ferri [Plaster of Iron), is made with subcar- 
bonate of iron, lead plaster, and Burgundy pitch. 

Pilule Ferri Carbonatis (Pills of Carbonate of Iron). — 
Vallefs Ferruginous Pills. To protect the carbonate of iron 
from oxidation, it is prepared (as in the process last de- 
scribed) by dissolving the reacting salts in weak syrup in- 
stead of water ; honey and sugar being afterwards added, 
to preserve it unaltered and bring it to the pilular consist- 
ence. This preparation, from its unchangeableness, is pre- 
ferred to the ordinary subcarbonate, and is one of the most 
popular of the chalybeates. Gr. x to gr. xxx of the pilular 
mass may be taken in divided doses through the day. 

Mistura Ferri Composita ( Compound Mixture of Iron), is a 
mixture of the carbonate of iron (prepared by the reaction 
of sulphate of iron and carbonate of potassa), with myrrh, 
spirit of lavender, and rose-water, and sugar to resist oxi- 
dation. It is a favorite chalybeate in chlorosis and ame- 
norrhoea. Dose, f§j to fgij, three times a day. 

Pilulce Ferri Composite (Compound Pills of Iron), are 
prepared with carbonate of soda, sulphate of iron, myrrh, 
and syrup. Dose, from two to six pills three times a day. 



PREPARATIONS OF IRON. 113 

Both these preparations should be made only as wanted 
for nse. 

Ferri Sulphas [Sulphate of Iron), known, in its impure 
state, as green vitriol or copperas, is prepared for medicinal 
use by dissolving iron wire in diluted sulphuric acid, with 
heat. It is a sulphate of the protoxide, and occurs in trans- 
parent, pale bluish-green crystals, of an acid styptic taste, 
soluble in water, but insoluble in alcohol. By exposure to 
the air, they effloresce, absorb oxygen, and become yel- 
lowish-white, from the formation of sulphate of the sesqui- 
oxide. When heated to 212°, they give out six of their 
seven equivalents of water, and are converted into a gray- 
ish-white mass, known as the dried sulphate. Sulphate of 
iron is one of the most active of the ferruginous prepara- 
tions, but its local effects are powerfully astringent, and in 
a concentrated form it acts as an irritant poison. It is 
preferred to other chalybeates, where there is much relaxa- 
tion of the solids, with excessive discharges ; but it is not 
so well adapted to long-continued use, on account of its 
local irritant action. Topically, it is employed in substance 
and solution, as a styptic and astringent. Dose, gr. j to gr. 
v, in pill ; of the dried sulphate (ferri sulphas exsiccata), gr. 
ss to gr. iij. 

Liquor Ferri Tersulphatis (Solution of Tersulphate of 
Iron). This preparation is made by dissolving the sul- 
phate (of the protoxide) of iron in a mixture of sulphuric 
and nitric acids with water. The nitric acid furnishes 
oxygen enough to the protoxide of iron to convert it into 
a sesquioxide, and the sulphuric acid gives the additional 
acid required to saturate the sesquioxide. This solution 
is a clear, reddish-brown liquid, of a sour, very astringent, 
and somewhat acrid taste. Its chief use is in making the 
sesquioxide of iron, and it should be kept on hand, for the 
preparation of the hydrated sesquioxide of iron, as an anti- 
dote for arsenious acid. It may be used as a styptic, but 
for this purpose it is inferior to the next preparation. 

Liquor Ferri Subsulphatis (Solution of Subsulphate of 



114 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Iron). This solution, known as MonseVs Solution, is made 
in the same way as the last preparation, except that only 
half the amount of sulphuric acid is used ; the sesquioxide 
of iron is therefore only partially saturated, and a subsalt 
results. It has a syrupy consistence, a ru'by-red color, is 
inodorous, and has a very astringent but not acrid taste. 
It is a less irritant salt than the tersulphate, and may be 
used internally, in hemorrhage from the stomach and 
bowels, in the dose of from five to fifteen grains. Exter- 
nally, it is one of the most efficacious styptics we can 
employ. 

Tinctura Ferri Chloridi (Tincture of the Chloride of 
Iron). This is prepared by dissolving iron wire in muri- 
atic acid, then in nitric acid, and afterwards adding water 
and alcohol. It is a tincture of the sesquichloride, though 
there is probably some reaction between the acid and 
alcohol, as the preparation has an ethereal odor. It is of 
a reddish-brown color, and has a sour, styptic taste. It is 
one of the most effective of the chalybeates, acting locally 
as an energetic astringent and styptic, and, in large doses, 
as an irritant. Its indications, both general and topical, 
are very analogous to those of the sulphate, with the addi- 
tion of some specific action on the urino-genital apparatus, 
which renders it applicable to the treatment of affections 
of these organs. Dose, tt#x to rrgxxx, gradually increased 
to f5j or fSij, and taken in some mild diluent. 

Ferri Iodidum [Iodide of Iron). This salt is the protiodide 
of iron, and is made by the addition of iron filings to a 
mixture of iodine in distilled water. By evaporation, with 
as little contact of air as possible, green tabular crystals 
are obtained, of a styptic taste, volatile, deliquescent, and 
very soluble in both water and alcohol. But, by exposure 
to the air, the protiodide of iron undergoes decomposition : 
a portion of the iron parting with its iodine, and becoming 
oxidized. Hence, the salt is hardly fit for medicinal use, 
unless protected from decomposition, as in the officinal 

Syrupus Ferri Iodidi (Syrup of Iodide of Iron), which is 



PREPARATIONS OF IRON. 115 

prepared with the addition of sugar. This is an excellent 
alterative tonic, combining the effects of iodine and of iron, 
and is particularly applicable to the treatment of scrofula, 
visceral engorgements, phthisis, &c. Dose, twenty to forty 
drops three times a day. 

PilulcB Ferri Iodidi [Pills of Iodide of Iron), are made with 
sugar, gum arabic, marsh-mallow, and balsam of Tolu. 
They keep very well. Each pill contains about one grain 
iodide of iron, and one-fifth of a grain of reduced iron. 

Ferri et Potass^ Tartras [Tartrate of Iron and Po- 
tassa) is prepared by the addition of hydrated oxide of 
iron to a mixture of bitartrate of potassa in distilled water. 
It occurs in transparent scales of a ruby-red color, which 
are wholly soluble in water. The tartaric acid and potash, 
in combination in this preparation, render it less constipa- 
ting than the other chalybeates ; and, from its agreeable 
taste, it is adapted to the diseases of childhood. Dose, gr. 
x to 5ss. 

Ferri Phosphas (Phosphate of Iron), is obtained by the 
double reaction of solutions of sulphate of iron and phos- 
phate of soda, and is a phosphate of the protoxide. It is a 
white powder, insoluble in water, but soluble in dilute 
acids ; by exposure to the air it absorbs oxygen, and ac- 
quires a blue color. Dose, gr. v to gr. x. 

Ferri Pyrophosphas (Pyrophosphate of Iron), is a mixture 
of pyrophosphate of the sesquioxide of iron and citrate of 
ammonia. It occurs in apple-green scales, of an acid taste, 
and is very soluble in water. A good chalybeate. Dose, 
grs. ij-v. Given also as a syrup. 

Ferri Citras ( Citrate of Iron), is prepared by the addition 
of hydrated oxide x>f iron to a solution of citric acid. It 
is a citrate of the sesquioxide, and occurs in thin, transpa- 
rent pieces, of a garnet-red color, with a mild, acid, chaly- 
beate taste, slowly soluble in cold water, but readily soluble 
in boiling water. Dose, gr. v to gr. x. It is officinal also 
in the form of solution of citrate of iron (liquor ferri citratis), 
a deep reddish-brown liquid, given in doses of ten to 



116 MATERIA MEDICA. 

twenty drops ; and it is by evaporating this solution that 
the solid citrate is obtained. The addition of a few drops 
of liquor amnionic converts this salt into an ammonio- 
citrate, which is more soluble, and possesses antacid pro- 
perties. Dose, the same. 

Liquor Ferri Nitratis (Solution of Nitrate of Iron), is pre- 
pared by the gradual addition of dilute nitric acid to an 
excess of iron. It is a ternitrate of the sesquioxide of iron, 
and is a pale amber-colored liquid, with a strong, astrin- 
gent, acid taste. It is tonic and astringent, agreeing very 
well with the stomach, and is employed in the treatment 
of chronic diarrhoea, hsematemesis, hemorrhage from the 
bowels, and uterine hemorrhage, particularly when anaemic 
symptoms are present. Dose, gtt. x to gtt. xx, two or 
three times a day; in dilution. 

Ferrum Ammoniatum (Ammoniated Iron), is prepared by 
evaporating a solution of sesquichloride of iron and muriate 
of ammonia. It is a mechanical mixture of these salts, 
and is of an orange-red color, wholly soluble in water and 
diluted alcohol. It contains a small and variable quantity 
of iron ; but is considered a valuable deobstruent in glan- 
dular swellings, and in large doses is aperient. It is not 
now officinal. Dose, gr. iv to gr. xij, or more. 

Ferri Ferrocyanidum (Ferrocyanide of Iron), or Pure 
Prussian Blue, is obtained by the action of ferrocyanide of 
potassium on tersulphate of sesquioxide of iron. It is of a 
rich dark-blue color, without smell or taste, and is insoluble 
in water and alcohol. Its effects on the economy in health 
are not very striking ; but it has been used both as an anti- 
periodic tonic and in the treatment of neuralgia, chorea, 
&c. Dose, gr. v, three or four times a day. 

Ferri Lactas (Lactate of Iron), is made by mixing dilute 
lactic acid with iron filings. It is a lactate of the protoxide, 
and occurs in greenish-white crystalline crusts or grains, 
of a mild, sweetish, ferruginous taste, sparingly soluble in 
water, and insoluble in alcohol. Used in chlorosis, and 



PREPARATIONS OF COPPER. 117 

has a marked effect in increasing the appetite. Dose, gr. 
x-xx, in pill, lozenge, or syrup. 

Ferri et Quinia Citras (Citrate of Iron and Quinia). 
This salt is prepared by precipitating quinia from the sul- 
phate by ammonia, and afterwards dissolving it in a hot 
solution of citrate of iron. As found in the shops, it is 
probably a mixture of citrate of sesquioxide of iron, with 
a variable proportion of citrate of iron and quinia. It 
occurs in thin, transparent scales, of a reddish or yellowish- 
brown color, with a tint of green, not very soluble in water. 
It combines the virtues of its two bases ; five or six grains 
contain about a grain of quinia. 

Ferri et Ammonia Sulphas (Sulphate of Iron and Ammo- 
nia). This salt, called also ammonio-ferric alum, is made by 
adding sulphate of ammonia to the hot solution of tersul- 
phate of iron. It occurs in octohedral crystals, of a pale 
violet color and sour astringent taste, efflorescent and 
soluble in water. Used in diarrhoea and chronic dysen- 
tery. Dose, gr. v-xv, two or three times a day. 

Ferri et Ammonia Tartras ( Tartrate of Iron and Am- 
monia), occurs in transparent, garnet-red scales, of a sweetish 
taste, soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol and ether. A 
mild chalybeate. Dose, gr. x-xxx. 

Various other combinations of iron have been from time 
to time introduced into the practice of medicine ; but they 
are needlessly multiplied. The arseniate, acetate, tannate, 
bromide, and valerianate, are recommended by different the- 
rapeutists. 

CUPRI PR^EPARATA — PREPARATIONS Of COPPER. 

Metallic copper is inert. The salts of copper act locally 
as caustics, irritants, and astringents. When exhibited in 
small doses, they exert a corroborant influence over the 
cerebro-spinal system, and are employed to fulfil the indi- 
cations to which tonics are applicable, as in the cure of 
ague, neuralgia, epilepsy, &c. In larger doses, they act as 



118 MATERIA MEDICA. 

emetics ; and in excessive doses, they produce gastrointes- 
tinal inflammation, and disorder of the nervous system. 
They are employed therapeutically, both as external and 
internal remedies; externally, as stimulants, astringents, 
styptics, and caustics ; internally, as tonics, astringents, 
and emetics. In cases of poisoning from the cupreous 
compounds, the best antidote is albumen, as white of eggs, 
milk, wheaten flour. The ferrocyanide of potassium is also 
very efiicacious, forming with the cupreous compound an 
insoluble ferrocyanide of copper. 

Cupri Sulphas [Sulphate of Copper). This salt, known 
as blue vitriol, is obtained by roasting the native sulphuret, or 
by combining copper and sulphuric acid. It occurs in fine, 
prismatic, blue crystals, which, by exposure to the air, 
effloresce slightly, and become covered with a greenish- 
white powder. It has a styptic, metallic taste, is entirely 
soluble in water, but insoluble in alcohol. It is employed 
as a tonic, in doses of gr. \ to gr. j, or more, in pill, repeated 
so as not to occasion vomiting. As an astringent, it may 
be given in the same doses, and will be found an extremely 
valuable remedy in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea and 
dysentery, and chronic catarrh with profuse secretion. As 
an emetic, the dose is gr. iij to gr. v. Externally, it is used 
as an escharotic to fungous granulations, and in solution 
to arrest hemorrhages, mucous discharges, &c. 

Cuprum Ammoniatum (Ammoniated Copper) is made by 
rubbing together sulphate of copper and carbonate of am- 
monia. It is probably a double compound of cuprate of 
ammonia and sulphate of ammonia, and has a deep azure- 
blue color, a styptic, metallic taste, and an ammoniacal 
odor. Its action is very similar to that of sulphate of 
copper; but it is used principally as an antispasmodic 
tonic in nervous disorders, — epilepsy, chorea, hysteria, 
spasmodic asthma, &c. Dose, gr. J, gradually increased. 

Cupri Subacetas (Subacetate of Copper), or Verdigris, 
occurs in pale bluish-green or blue masses or powder. 
The dose is gr. J to gr. \ ; but it is a powerful poison in 



PREPARATIONS OF ZINC. 119 

an overdose, and hence is rarely given as a tonic. The 
powder is used as an escharotic, and an ointment is used. 



ZINCI PR^PARATA — PREPARATIONS OF ZINC. 

Zinc in the metallic state is inert. Its compounds are 
very analogous in their effects on the system to those of 
copper, but are less energetic. They are employed topically 
as caustics, astringents, and desiccants ; and internally as 
tonics and antispasmodics, and in large doses, as emetics. 
In cases of poisoning (which are, however, very uncom- 
mon), demulcents and opiates are to be administered. 

Zinci Sulphas [Sulphate of Zinc), or White Vitriol, is pre- 
pared by dissolving zinc in diluted sulphuric acid. It 
occurs in small, colorless, transparent, prismatic crystals, 
resembling those of sulphate of magnesia. They have a 
metallic, astringent taste, are soluble in water, and inso- 
luble in alcohol. Dose, as a tonic, antispasmodic, and astrin- 
gent, gr. j to gr. v ; as an emetic, it is the promptest and 
safest that can be given in cases of narcotic poisoning, in 
the dose of gr. x to gr. xx. Externally, it is much used in 
solution as an application to inflamed mucous membranes, 
in the strength of gr. j or ij to f§ss of water. 

Zinci Oxidum (Oxide of Zinc) is made by exposing car- 
bonate of zinc to heat. It is a white powder, insoluble in 
water, but soluble in diluted sulphuric and chlorohydric 
acids. It has been given as an antispasmodic tonic, in doses 
of gr. ij or iij, gradually increased to gr. viij or x, and is 
highly esteemed in the treatment of epilepsy; but it is 
chiefly used externally as a dusting powder, or in the form 
of ointment. 

Zinci Acetas ( Acetate of Zinc) is made by adding zinc to 
a solution of acetate of lead, and occurs in white micaceous 
crystals, very soluble in water. It may be given internally 
as a tonic antispasmodic, in the dose of gr. j or ij, gradually 
increased ; but it is chiefly used as a topical astringent in 



120 MATERIA MEDICA. 

ophthalmia, gonorrhoea, leucorrhcea, &c, in the proportion 
of gr. ij to gr. vj, or more, to an ounce of water. 

Zinci Carbonas Pr^ecipitatus ^Precipitated Carbonate of 
Zinc), is obtained by the double reaction of solutions of sul- 
phate of zinc and. carbonate of soda. It is a soft, white 
powder, similar in its action to the oxide, but is chiefly 
used as a dusting powder, and to make a mild astringent 
and desiccant cerate. 

Calamina Pr^parata (Prepared Calamine), obtained by 
heat from calamine, the native impure carbonate of zinc, is 
a pinkish powder, used as a desiccant, and in the form of 
a cerate, called Turner's cerate. Calamine is so frequently 
adulterated that it is now dismissed from the Pharmaco- 
poeia, though still much used. 

Zinci Chloridum (Chloride of Zinc), is made by dissolv- 
ing zinc in muriatic acid, — nitric acid and chalk being 
added to remove any iron which may have been present 
with the zinc. It is a whitish-gray, semitransparent, deli- 
quescent mass, having the softness of wax, and is soluble 
in water, alcohol and ether. It has been employed inter- 
nally in doses of gr. j or ij, as an antispasmodic tonic in 
chorea, epilepsy, and neuralgia. Its local action is that of 
a powerful caustic, and it is one of the best escharotics 
that can be exhibited, to produce healthy granulations in 
malignant or indolent ulcers, especially in lupus. It may 
be used as a lotion in the strength of gr. ij to f gj of water, 
or dissolved in a little alcohol, or in the form of paste, 
made with one part of the salt to two or four of flour. A 
solution of the chloride of zinc is employed as an anti- 
septic, and is also injected into the bloodvessels of ana- 
tomical subjects to preserve them for dissection. 

Zinci Yalerianas ( Valerianate of Zinc), is prepared by 
the double reaction of valerianate of soda and sulphate of 
zinc. It occurs in white, pearly scales, having a faint odor 
of valerianic acid, and a metallic styptic taste. Yery slightly 
soluble in water, more so in alcohol. Used in epilepsy 



PREPARATIONS OF SILVER. 121 

and nervous affections, in the dose of one or two grains, 
repeated several times a day. 



ARGENTI PR^PARATA — PREPARATIONS OF SILVER. 

In the metallic state, silver is wholly inert. The only 
preparation which is extensively employed is — 

Argenti Nitras {Nitrate of Silver). This salt is obtained 
by dissolving silver in diluted nitric acid. It occurs in 
transparent, colorless, prismatic crystals, which have a 
strongly metallic and bitter taste, and are wholly soluble 
in distilled water, and become blackened by the action of 
light, and organic matters. Its solution yields with chlo- 
ride of sodium, a white precipitate, entirely soluble in am- 
monia. 

Physiological Effects. — The topical action of nitrate of 
silver is that of a caustic or corrosive ; and this effect is 
produced by its combining with the albumen and fibrin of 
the tissues. When applied to mucous membranes, it forms 
a compound with the animal matter of the mucus, which 
protects the tissues from the action of the caustic. Hence, 
large doses may be taken with considerable impunity by 
the stomach. But, in excessive quantity, it may occasion 
gastro-enteric irritation, with disturbance of the nervous 
system; and, in these cases, the antidote is common salt 
(chloride of sodium), which produces, when in contact 
with the nitrate, nitrate of soda and chloride of silver. In 
medicinal doses, nitrate of silver has a specific corroborant 
and antispasmodic action on the nervous system ; and, after 
absorption, produces a peculiar blueness or slate-color of the 
skin. 

Medicinal Uses. — Internally, nitrate of silver has been 
chiefly employed as an antispasmodic tonic in the treat- 
ment of epilepsy, and it is the most reliable remedy that 
can be administered in this intractable affection ; but its 
effect in discoloring the skin, is an objection to its pro- 



122 MATERIA MEDICA. 

tracted use. It is also used iu chorea and gastrodynia, and 
as an astringent in dysentery. But it is as an external 
agent that it is chiefly resorted to. It is the most efficacious 
application that can be made to inflamed mucous mem- 
branes, and either in the solid form or in solution, it is 
employed in every variety of inflammation of this tissue. 
It is also extensively used to produce healthy granulations 
in wounds and ulcers, to arrest the progress of erysipela- 
tous inflammation and variolous pustules, in porrigo and 
other skin diseases, in strictures, and to destroy the virus 
of chancres and of poisoned wounds. 

Administration. — The dose of nitrate of silver internally 
is gr. J, gradually increased to gr. iij or iv, three times a 
day, in pill made with some mild vegetable powder. For 
external use, solutions are made of various strengths, from 
gr. ij to 5ss, in an ounce of distilled water. An ointment 
is also employed. 

Argenti Nitras Fusa (Fused Nitrate of Silver, Lunar 
Caustic). For external use, in the solid form, nitrate of sil- 
ver is melted and poured into small moulds. 

Argenti Oxidum (Oxide of Silver), is obtained by adding 
solution of potassa to a solution of nitrate of silver. It is 
a tasteless, olive-brown powder, very slightly soluble in 
water. Its uses are analogous to those of the nitrate, and 
it is employed in epilepsy, gastrodynia, chronic diarrhoea, 
uterine disease, &c. It is considered to be free from lia- 
bility to discolor the skin. Dose, gr. ss to gr. ij, twice or 
thrice daily, in powder or pill. 



BISMUTHI SUBNITRAS — SUBNITRATE OF BISMUTH. 

This salt is prepared by dissolving bismuth in diluted 
nitric acid. It is a white, inodorous, tasteless powder, 
nearly insoluble in water. Its medicinal properties are 
tonic, antispasmodic, and astringent, and it has been em- 
ployed in intermittent fever ; but it is now chiefly used to 



MINERAL ACIDS. 123 

allay sickness and vomiting in chronic nervous affections 
of the stomach, and also as an astringent in chronic diar- 
rhoea. Dose, gr. v to 3j, or even 5ss, in powder or 
pill. Externally, it is a good remedy in skin diseases in 
the form of ointment. The subcarbonate of bismuth — bis- 
muthi subcarbonas — is recommended as a substitute for the 
subnitrate. It is thought to he more readily tolerated by 
the stomach, ancNs more soluble in the gastric juice, but 
it is less astringent. 



CADMII SULPHAS — SULPHATE OF CADMIUM. 

This salt is obtained by the reaction of sulphuric acid 
upon carbonate of cadmium. It occurs in transparent, co- 
lorless, prismatic crystals, of an astringent, austere taste, 
and very soluble in water In its effects on the system, it 
closely resembles sulphate of zinc, but it has been chiefly 
used in this country, as a collyrium (gr. j-ij to water fSj), 
and has been found very efficacious in specks and opaci- 
ties of the cornea. 



ACIDA MINERALIA — MINERAL ACIDS. 

The diluted mineral acids are usually classed with tonics; 
but, although they exert a very considerable corroborant 
influence on the system, their action is in many respects 
peculiar and distinctive. In the concentrated form, they 
are corrosive. When properly diluted with water and 
swallowed in medicinal doses, they allay thirst, increase 
the appetite, and stimulate digestion. After absorption 
into the blood, they often produce a restorative effect in 
morbid conditions of the circulating fluid, and in their 
passage out by the secretions, act as astringents. They 
are employed — as tonics, usually in combination with the 
vegetable bitters, in intermittent, hectic, and typhoid 
fevers ; as astringents and styptics in hemorrhage from the 



124 MATERIA MEDICA. 

stomach and bowels, and in colliquative discharges; to 
allay febrile heat and cutaneous irritation ; as antalkalines ; 
and locally, as escharotics; and, in a very dilute solution, 
they are injected into the bladder as lithontriptics. In 
cases of poisoning from the mineral acids, the alkaline 
earths and fixed oils are the proper antidotes. 

Acidum Sulphumcum (Sulphuric Acid), formerly called 
Oil of Vitriol, is obtained by burning sulphur, mixed with 
nitre, over a stratum of water contained in a chamber 
lined with sheet-lead. It is a dense, colorless, inodorous, 
corrosive liquid, which, in the concentrated form, is not 
employed internally, but is sometimes used externally, as 
a caustic. The proper antidote, in cases of poisoning from 
sulphuric acid, is magnesia, or solution of soap, and muci- 
laginous drinks should be afterwards freely administered. 

Acidum Sulphuricum Diluttjm (Diluted Sulphuric Acid), 
contains two troyounces of sulphuric acid in a pint of di- 
luted acid. It is given as a tonic, refrigerant, and astrin- 
gent, in the dose of from ten to thirty drops, three times a 
day, in water, and should be sucked through a quill to pre- 
vent injury to the teeth. This acid is a particularly valu- 
able remedy in typhus fevers, colliquative perspirations, 
and choleraic diarrhoea ; and it is the best corrective for 
phosphatic lithiasis. It is used externally as a gargle, and 
wash to ulcers. 

Acidum Sulphuricum Aromaticum (Aromatic Sulphuric 
Acid), or Elixir of Vitriol, is made by digesting sulphuric 
acid and alcohol with ginger and cinnamon. It is a red- 
dish-brown liquid, with an aromatic odor and a pleasant 
acid taste ; and is an agreeable substitute for the diluted 
sulphuric acid, administered in the same closes. 

Acidum Sulphurosum (Sulphurous Acid), is made by 
heating sulphuric acid with charcoal and distilled water. 
The sulphuric acid (S0 3 ) is deprived of an equivalent of 
oxygen by the charcoal, and becomes sulphurous acid 
(S0 2 ). It is a colorless liquid, having the smell of burn- 
ing sulphur, and a sulphurous somewhat astringent taste. 



MINERAL ACIDS. 125 

It has been only of late years employed in medicine, and 
is believed to have a special influence in destroying para- 
sitic life. Internally, it is very efficacious in sarcina ven- 
triculi, or yeast vomiting; dose, f3j, largely diluted with 
water. Externally, it is used in skin diseases (particularly 
those of a parasitic nature, either animalcular or cryptoga- 
mous) — diluted with two or three measures of water or 
glycerine. The sulphite of soda — sodce sidphis — is used as a 
substitute for sulphurous acid, which is developed from the 
salt by any of the organic acids; dose, 5j, three times a day. 
The hyposulphite of soda is used for the same purposes ; 
dose, gr. x-xx, three times a day, and for external use, 5j, 
dissolved in water f§j. 

Acldum Kttricum (Nitric Acid), (N0 6 ), is obtained by the 
action of sulphuric acid upon nitrate of potassa. When 
pure, it is colorless ; but as found in the shops, it is usually 
of a straw color, owing to the presence of nitrous acid. It 
is a corrosive, sour liquid, employed, in the concentrated 
form, as an escharotic to destroy warts and stimulate indo- 
lent sinuses, and diluted, as an astringent wash or gargle. 
Cases of poisoning from this acid are to be treated with 
magnesia or soap, and mucilaginous drinks. In poisoning 
from nitric acid, the fauces and mouth are covered with 
yellow eschars, while in the case of sulphuric acid, they 
are white or black. Internally, it is used in the form of 

Acidum Nitricum Dilutum (Diluted Nitric Acid) which 
contains three troyounces of acid in a pint of diluted acid. 
This is given as a substitute for sulphuric acid, but is more 
apt to disagree with the stomach ; it is also employed as an 
alterative in syphilis. Combined with laudanum and cam- 
phor water, it is much used in the treatment of dysentery, 
under the name of Hope's Camphor Mixture. Dose, for in- 
ternal use, 20 to 40 drops, three times a day, reduced with 
w r at*er. 

Acidum Muriaticum (Muriatic Acid), is an aqueous solu- 
tion of chlorohydric acid gas (H CI), and is obtained by the 
action of sulphuric acid on solution of chloride of sodium 



126 MATERIA MEDICA. 

or common salt. It is, when pure, a transparent, colorless 
liquid, but has often a yellow color, owing to the presence 
of iron or other contaminations. It has a corrosive taste, 
and a suffocating odor, and is an active poison, though less 
irritating than sulphuric and nitric acids. Magnesia or 
soap is the proper antidote. It is used, externally, as a 
caustic, and as an application in diphtheria, ulcerative and 
gangrenous stomatitis, &c. ; internally, in the form of — 

Acidum Muriaticum Dilutum [Diluted Muriatic Acid), 
which contains four troyounces of acid in a pint of diluted 
acid. This is employed, in conjunction with the vegetable 
tonics, in typhus, malignant scarlatina, &c. ; also to coun- 
teract phosphatic deposits in the urine, to prevent the ge- 
neration of worms, in syphilis, in dysentery, and in some 
forms of dyspepsia. Dose, 20 to 60 drops, which may be 
given in infusion of roses. 

Acidum Nitro-muriaticum (Nitro-muriatic Acid). This 
acid is made by mixing three parts of nitric acid with five 
parts of muriatic acid, and is a compound of chlorine and 
nitric oxide, mixed with free chlorine. It has a golden- 
yellow color, and emits the smell of chlorine. Internally, 
it is employed in the same cases as nitric acid, and is 
thought to be particularly efficacious in diseases of the 
liver and syphilis. It should not be given with mercurials. 
Externally, it is used as a bath, either local or general, in 
oxaluria, syphilis, and chronic hepatitis, for which purpose 
one or two ounces of acid may be added to a gallon of wa- 
ter. Dose, from two to live drops, properly diluted and 
carefully increased. 



ORDER V. — ASTRINGENTS. 

These are medicines which produce contraction and cor- 
rugation of the tissues. Their constitutional effects are 
somewhat analogous to those of tonics; as, like them, they 
increase the tone and vigor of the body, and exercise a 



TANNIC ACID. 127 

control over various disorders of the nervous system. But 
they are chiefly employed to cure relaxation of the fibres 
and tissues, to subdue inflammation of superficial parts, 
and to arrest hemorrhage and excessive discharges from 
mucous membranes or other secreting surfaces. In check- 
ing morbid discharges from the bowels, astringents, while 
they diminish the secretions from the intestinal canal, do 
not, like opium, restrain the peristaltic movements; hence 
the necessity of combining them with opiates. They are 
divided into Vegetable and Mineral astringents. The former 
owe their astringency to the presence of a principle termed 
tannic acid, and differ from tonics in the absence of bit- 
terness. The mineral preparations usually classed among 
astringents, are those of alum and lead, and are distin- 
guished from the mineral astringent-tonics, by their more 
decided astringency and a sedative action on the nervous 
system. 

VEGETABLE ASTRINGENTS. 
ACIDUM TANNICUM — TANNIC ACID. 

This acid, which is the active principle of the vegetable 
astringents, is usually extracted from powdered galls by 
the action of ether. It is of a yellowish- white color, and 
a strongly astringent taste, is very soluble in water, and 
soluble, though less so, in alcohol and ether. It produces 
a white flocculent precipitate with solution of gelatine, a 
bluish-black precipitate with the salts of the sesquioxide of 
iron, and white precipitates with solutions of the vegetable 
alkalies ; and these substances are to be, therefore, consi- 
dered incompatible with all the vegetable astringents. There 
is a variety of tannic acid, obtained from catechu and some 
other substances, which strikes a greenish-black precipitate 
with the salts of iron, and is not convertible into gallic 
acid. 

Effects and Uses. — Tannic acid is a powerful astringent, 



128 MATERIA MEDICA. 

and is applicable to all the cases in which astringents are 
useful. It is greatly resorted to, internally, in the treat- 
ment of diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, hemorrhage, colli- 
quative sweats, &c. ; also as an enema in diarrhoea, dysen- 
tery, prolapsus ani, and fissure of the rectum ; and as a 
topical application, in inflammations and morbid discharges 
from mucous membranes, ulcers, &c. It is, perhaps, the 
best form in which the vegetable astringents can be em- 
ployed, owing to the certainty and minuteness of the dose 
in which it can be given. Dose, gr. j to gr. iij, or iv, in 
pill, occasionally repeated. 

ACIDUM GALLICUM — GALLIC ACID. 

This principle is found in many of the vegetable astrin- 
gents, but less uniformly than tannic acid, and is probably 
the result of changes which the latter has undergone. It 
is prepared by exposing a solution of galls to the air, when 
the tannic acid gradually absorbs oxygen and is converted 
into gallic acid. It occurs in small, silky, nearly colorless 
crystals, having a slight acid and astringent taste, and is 
soluble in boiling water, and slightly so in cold water. 

Effects and Uses. — Gallic acid is a valuable astringent, 
which has of late been extensively employed in hemor- 
rhagic disorders, as uterine hemorrhage, hemoptysis, 
hsematuria, bloody diarrhoea, &c. Both tannic and gallic 
acids have been found useful in albuminuria. Gallic acid 
has but feeble local astringent powers, and is probably con- 
verted into tannic acid in the blood; though in hemor- 
rhages, it appears to be more efficacious than the latter 
acid. It may be given in doses of gr. ij to gr. v, in pill, 
every two or three hours. 

GALLA — NUTGALL. 

Galls are morbid excrescences found upon Quercus 
infectoria, or the Gall Oak [Nat. Ord. Corylacese), a small 



CATECHU. 129 

tree or shrub of Asia Minor. The Gall-nuts are produced 
by the puncture of the buds by a fly^ (Cynijos quercusfolii),- 
to form a nidus for its eggs. This occasions an irritation 
and flow of juices to the part, resulting in the formation 
of a tumor round the larva, which, on attaining maturity, 
perforates the gall and escapes. Galls are produced chiefly 
in Syria and Asia Minor, and are imported from the Le- 
vant. They are brought also from Calcutta, being collected 
to some extent in India. Galls are spherical, about the 
size of a hickory-nut, but of varying dimensions, with 
small tubercles on their surface. The best are bluish or 
black externally, and grayish within, without odor, and of 
a very astringent, bitter taste. They yield their properties 
to both water and alcohol, but best to the former, and con- 
tain both tannic and gallic acids. White galls are collected 
after they have been perforated by the insect, and are infe- 
rior in astringency. 

Effects and Uses. — Galls are powerfully astringent, but 
are not much used internally. In the form of infusion or 
decoction, they are employed as enemata in diarrhoea and 
dysentery, and also as gargles. Dose of the powder, gr. x 
to gr. xx. The tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol 
Oij) may be given in the dose of foj to f 3iij , but it is chiefly 
used as a chemical test. The ointment (one part to seven 
parts of lard) is a favorite application in hemorrhoids. 



CATECHU. 

Catechu, formerly called Terra Japonica, is an extract 
from the wood of Acacia Catechu, a small prickly tree of 
India {Nat. Ord. Fabacese). Twelve or fifteen varieties of 
the drug are described by pharmacologists; but it is usually 
met with in the shops, in masses of various shapes and sizes, 
of a rusty-brown color externally, and varying internally 
from a reddish or yellowish-brown to a dark-brown color. 
TJie best is of a dark color, and is easily broken into small 

9 



130 MATERIA MEDICA. 

angular fragments, with a smooth glossy surface, bearing 
some resemblance to kino. It is without smell, and has 
an astringent, bitter taste. It contains 50 per cent, of 
tannic acid (of the variety which strikes a greenish-black 
precipitate with the salts of iron), and about 30 per cent, 
of a peculiar extractive, called catechuic acid, to both of 
which it owes its peculiar properties. 

Effects and Uses. — This is one of the most powerful and 
valuable of the vegetable astringents, possessing also mild 
tonic properties. It is much employed in diarrhoea, dysen- 
tery, hemorrhages, and in all cases of immoderate discharge, 
unattended with inflammatory action. It is a good deal 
used in relaxed conditions of the mouth and throat, also 
in aphthous ulcerations of the mouth, and spongy affec- 
tions of the gums. Topically, it is employed as a styptic, 
and in solution as an injection in gonorrhoea and gleet, &c. 
Dose of the powder, gr. x to 5ss, in bolus or emulsion. 

Infusum Catechu Compositum {Compound Infusion of 
Catechu), is made by adding boiling water (Oj) to powdered 
catechu (half a troy ounce), and cinnamon (5j) — dose, f§j 
to fgij, three or four times a day. Of the tincture (three 
troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij,with cinnamon two troy- 
ounces), the dose is f5j to f3iij- 



KINO. 

The term Kino is applied to the inspissated juice of 
several trees. Five varieties are known. 1. East India 
kino, which is the most common, and is the produce of Pte- 
rocarpus marsupium (Nat. Ord. Eabacese), a lofty tree of 
Malabar. 2. African kino, the original variety introduced 
into Europe, but now rarely met with ; obtained from Pte- 
rocarpus erinaceus (Nat. Ord. Eabacese). .3. Jamaica kino, 
the product of Coccoloba uvifera, or Seaside Grape (Nat. 
Ord. Polygonacese), a small tree of South America and the 
"West Indies. 4. South American kino, which is probabiy 



RHATANY. 131 

derived from Coccoloba uvifera. 5. Botany Bay kino, 
from Eucalyptus resinifera {Nat. Ord. Myrtacese), a large 
tree of Australia. 

East India kino is met with in small, angular, shining 
fragments, of a dark-brown or reddish-brown color, brit- 
tle, without smell, but with a very astringent taste. It 
contains tannic acid, kinoic acid (which is "the red coloring 
matter), pectin, ulmic acid, and inorganic salts. 

South American kino comes in large masses, externally 
very dark, and internally of a deep -reddish-brown color. 

Jamaica kino is like the last, but contained in large 
gourds. 

Effects and Uses. — Kino is a powerful astringent, and is 
much used in diarrhoea, chronic dysentery, leucorrhoea, 
gonorrhoea, hemorrhages, &c. Externally, it is employed 
as a styptic, and as a stimulant to indolent ulcers. Dose 
of the powder gr. x to 5ss ; of the tincture (5yj to diluted 
alcohol fgviij), f5j or f5ij may be given, and it is fre- 
quently added to chalk mixtures in diarrhoea. It spoils 
by keeping. 



KRAMERIA — RHATANY. 

Rhatany is the root of Krameria triandra {Nat. Ord. 
Polygalese), a shrub of Peru. It occurs in woody, cylin- 
drical pieces, of the thickness of a goose-quill, to twice 
that size — many radicles being often united to a common 
head. They have a dark, reddish-brown bark, and a tough 
central ligneous portion, of a lighter red color. They are 
without smell, but have a very astringent, slightly bitter, 
and sweetish taste, which is much stronger in the cortical 
than the ligneous portion ; and, hence the smallest pieces 
should be preferred, as they contain the most bark. Eha- 
tany yields a large proportion of tannic acid (of the second 
variety), and a peculiar acid, termed krameric, both of 
which probably contribute to its astringency. It imparts 



132 MATERIA MEDICA. 

its properties to both, cold and boiling water, but more 
fully to alcohol. 

Effects and Uses. — Rhatany is powerfully astringent, with 
some tonic properties. It is much used in the treatment 
of diarrhoea, dysentery, hemorrhages, &c, and as an ene- 
ma in fissure of the anus, hemorrhoids, leucorrhoea, &c. 
The powdered 'extract is an ingredient in many tooth- 
powders, and the tincture is also used as an astringent 
mouth-wash. Dose of the 'powder gr. xx to gr. xxx. But 
it is more employed in infusion (a troyounce to boiling wa- 
ter Oj), dose, fgj or fgij ; watery extract, dose gr. x to gr. 
xx ; tincture (six troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), dose, 
f 5j to f 5ij ; and syrup, dose f5j to fgss. 



HEMATOXYLIN — LOGWOOD. 

Logwood, or Campeachy wood, is the wood of Ilsema- 
toxylon Campechianum (Nat Ord. Fabacese), a medium- 
size tree of Campeachy and other maritime parts of tropi- 
cal America, and now naturalized in the West Indies. 
The portion used in medicine, and also as a dye, is the 
heart-wood, from which the bark and white sap-wood are 
removed, previously to exportation. It is imported in bil- 
lets of different sizes, of a dark color externally, and a 
deep red internally ; in the shops it is kept in chips or 
raspings. It has a sweetish, astringent, and rather pecu- 
liar taste, and a feeble, not unpleasant smell. It contains 
tannic acid, a coloring principle called hcematin, volatile oil, 
resin, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — It is a mild astringent, useful in chro- 
nic diarrhoea and dysentery, and particularly well adapted 
■to the weakened condition of the bowels, which follows 
cholera infantum. It is given either in decoction (a troy- 
ounce to water Oij boiled down to Oj), in the dose of fgj 
to f §ij to adults, and f 5j to 5\j to children ; or watery ex- 
tract in the dose of gr. x to 5ss, in solution. 



CRANESBILL. 133 



QUEECUS ALBA — WHITE OAK BARK. QUERCUS 
TINCTORIA — BLACK OAK BARK. 

The barks of several species of American oaks possess 
astringent properties, and are probably to be found in the 
shops, but the only officinal varieties are Quercus Alba, 
White Oak, and Quercus Tinctoria, Black Oak (Nat Ord. 
Amentacese). The bark is the portion used, but the leaves 
and acorns are also astringent. White Oak Bark is distin- 
guished by its whitish color. When prepared for use, it 
is deprived of its epidermis, and is of a light-brown color 
and fibrous texture, with an astringent and bitterish taste. 
Water and alcohol extract its virtues, which depend mainly 
on the presence of tannic and gallic acids, with a bitter 
principle, termed querein. Black Oak Bark is more fur- 
rowed, has a darker color, a more bitter taste, and stains 
the saliva yellow, when chewed ; it is much employed as 
a dye, under the name of quercitron. It contains a larger 
proportion of tannic and gallic acids than the white oak 
bark. 

Effects and Uses. — -A decoction of white oak bark is a 
good remedy in diarrhoea and hemorrhages, and is em- 
ployed as an enema in hemorrhoids, and prolapsus and fis- 
sure of the anus, as a gargle in relaxation of the uvula, 
and as an injection in leucorrhoea. It is used as a bath in 
the bowel complaints of children ; and a poultice of the 
ground bark is applied in gangrene. Black oak bark is 
too irritating for internal exhibition ; but for external use 
it is a stronger astringent than the white oak bark. Of the 
decoction (a troyounce to water Ojss, boiled dow T n to Oj), 
fgij may be taken frequently. 



GERANIUM — CRANESBILL. 

One of the most powerful of the indigenous astringents 
is Geranium maculatum, Crowfoot, or Cranesbill [NaL 



134 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



Ord. Geraniacese), a perennial herbaceous plant growing 
in moist woody situations, with, an erect stem, one or two 
feet high, three to five-lobed, incised, pale-green, mottled 
leaves, and large purple flowers, which appear in April 

Fig. 10. 




and May. The part used is the rhizoma, which should 
be collected in the autumn. This, when dried, occurs in 
wrinkled, rough pieces, from a quarter to half an inch in 
thickness, furnished with slender fibres, of a dark-brown 






UVA URSI. 135 

color externally, and a pale flesh-color within. It has an 
astringent, but not bitter taste, little or no smell, and con- 
tains tannic and gallic acids, with some mucilage. 

Effects and Uses. — This is an excellent simple astringent, 
agreeing very well with the stomach, and might be advan- 
tageously substituted for more expensive foreign drugs. 
It may be used internally to fulfil the indications of kino, 
rhatany, &c, in bowel complaints and hemorrhages, and 
topically as an enema, gargle, iujection, &c. It is also a 
valuable styptic. Dose, in powder, gr. x to xx ; of the de- 
coction (a troy ounce to water Ojss, boiled down to Oj), f§j 
to foij may be given. A decoction in milk is given to 
children. An extract and tincture are also employed. 

UVA URSI. 

Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi, or Bearberry (Nat. Ord. Eri- 
caceae), is a small, trailing, evergreen shrub, with coria- 

Fia. 11. 




ceous, obovate leaves (somewhat like box leaves, and red 
whortleberry leaves), about half an inch in length, pale 



136 MATERIA MEDICA. 

rose-colored flowers, appearing from June to September, 
and small red berries which ripen during the winter. It 
is found in the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and Ame- 
rica. The leaves are the only part used. When dried, 
they have a faint hay-like odor, and a bitterish, astringent 
taste. They yield their virtues to water and alcohol, and 
contain tannic and gallic acids, a principle termed ursin 
(which is said to act as a diuretic in the dose of a grain), 
extractive, resin, gum, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — Uva Ursi is astringent, tonic, and diu- 
retic, and exercises a particular control over discharges 
from mucous surfaces. Hence, its employment in catarrh 
of the bladder, chronic bronchitis, with profuse discharge, 
&c. It is also applicable to the ordinary uses of the vege- 
table astringents. Dose of the powder, 3j to 3ij, three 
times a day ; but it is usually given in decoction (a troy- 
ounce to water f§xx, boiled down to Oj), of which fSj to 
fgij may be taken three times a day. The fluid extract, 
which is a concentrated tincture, may be given in the dose 
of f5ss-f5j. 



CHIMAPHILA — PIPSISSEWA. 

Chimaphila umbellata, Pipsissewa, Wintergreen, or 
Ground-Holly (Nat. Ord. Pyrolacese.), is a small indige- 
nous, evergreen plant, common to the northern parts of 
Europe, Asia, and America, and found abundantly in 
woody situations in all parts of the United States. It has 
an erect stem, three to ten inches high, lanceolate, some- 
what wedge-shaped, serrated, dark-green leaves, arranged 
in irregular whorls, and beautiful five-petaled flowers, of a 
white color tinged with red, and a very agreeable perfume, 
which appear in June. The leaves are the officinal por- 
tion. In the fresh state, they have a fragrant smell when 
bruised, which they lose after drying. Their taste is bit- 
terish and astringent, but somewhat aromatic. They con- 



PIPSISSEWA. 



137 



tain tannic acid, bitter extractive, resin, and probably some 
acrid volatile constituent — as the fresh leaves, when bruised 
and applied to the skin, will cause redness and even vesi- 
cation. 

Fig. 12. 




Chimaphila maculata, or Spotted Pipsissewa, possesses 
analogous properties to those of C. umbellata, from which 
it differs principally in the character of its leaves. They 
are of a deep olive-green color, veined with greenish- white; 
and the flowers are a pure white, and appear in July. 



138 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Effects and Uses. — Pipsissewa is astringent and tonic, and 
also diuretic. It is employed in the disorders of the urinary 
organs to which uva ursi is applicable, and also for its diu- 
retic properties in dropsy, attended with debility of the 
digestive organs. Indeed, it is classed by some therapeu- 
tists among the diuretics. It is usually given in decoction 
(two troyounces to water Oiij, boiled down to Oij), of which 
Oj maybe taken in the twenty-four hours; and & fermented 
decoction, made with molasses, ginger, and yeast, is often 
used. An extract is employed, in doses of gr. x to gr. xv. 

The following vegetable astringents deserve notice, 
though less frequently employed than the foregoing : 

Granati Fructus Cortex (Pomegranate Bind). This is 
the rind of the fruit of Punica granatum, the Pome- 
granate tree (Nat. Ord. Myrtacese), a small tree of Northern 
Africa, Syria, and Persia, now naturalized in the warmer 
portions of Europe, the West Indies, &c. The rind of the 
fruit is a powerful astringent, but is little used internally, 
from its liability to occasion nausea. Dose, in powder, gr. 
xx to 5ss ; but it is best given in decoction (two troyounces 
to water Ojss, boiled down to Oj), dose fgj. 

Eosa Gallica (Bed Bose). Eosa Centifolia (Pale Bose). 
The petals of these two species of roses are officinal, but 
those of almost every other species of cultivated rose may 
be employed for the same purposes as the rosa centifolia. 
The red rose is a mild astringent, and is chiefly used in 
conjunction with sulphuric acid, in the infusum rosce com- 
positum — compound infusion of roses (half a troyounce to 
boiling water Oijss, diluted sulphuric acid fSiij, sugar a 
troyounce and a half). Dose, f oij to f §iv. The confection 
is used as a basis for pills. Mel Bosce (Honey of Boses), 
made with diluted alcohol and clarified honey, is used as 
an addition to gargles ; the syrup is added to mixtures. 
The pale rose is slightly laxative. Aqua Bosai (Bose 
Water), distilled from the pale rose, is much employed in 
collyria,^&c. 



ALUM-ROOT. 139 

Diospyros [Persimmon). The unripe fruit of Diospyros 
Virginiana (Nat. Ord. Ebenacese), an indigenous tree, is 
employed in diarrhoea, dysentery, and uterine hemorrhage, 
in infusion, syrup, and vinous and acetous tincture. The 
bark is bitter and astringent, but is not officinal. 

Tormentilla (Tormentil). The root of Potentilla tor- 
mentilla (Nat. Ord. Rosacese), a European plant, is used 
in Europe as an astringent, in the dose of 5ss to 5j , but is 
seldom or never employed in this country. 

Rubus (Blackberry Root). The roots of Rubus villosus, 
and Rubus Canadensis (Nat. Ord. Rosacea), the former an 
erect, prickly shrub, and the latter a creeping brier, are 
very efficient mild astringents, which have been used with 
excellent effect in bowel complaints, especially those of 
children. The astringency resides principally in the cor- 
tical portion, and hence the smallest roots should be pre- 
ferred; of the decoction (a troyounce to water Oij, boiled 
down to Oj) fgij may be taken frequently. 

Heuchera (Alum-root). The roots of Heuchera Ame- 
ricana, and other species of Heuchera (Nat. Ord. Saxifra- 
gacese), indigenous plants, known under the common name 
of Alum-root, with radical leaves somewhat like those of 
the maple, and numerous radical flower-stems, one to two 
feet in height, with rose-colored flowers arranged in pyra- 
midal panicles — possess very decided astringent properties, 
and may be used both externally and internally. 

A large number of vegetable substances, both indigenous 
and foreign, have been used as astringents, in addition to 
those enumerated — the astringent principle being the most 
common medicinal quality with which plants are endowed. 

The foregoing list comprises all the more important. 



140 MATERIA MEDICA. 



CREASOTUM — CREASOTE. 

Creasote is a peculiar substance obtained from tar. 
When pure, it is a colorless, oleaginous liquid, with a 
caustic, burning taste, and a penetrating, disagreeable 
odor, like that of smoked meat. It forms two solutions 
with water, one of 1 part to 80 parts of water, the other 
of 1 part of water in 10 parts of creasote; and it is soluble, 
in all proportions, in alcohol, ether, naphtha, and acetic 
acid. A remarkable property of creasote is its powder of 
preserving meat, whence its name (from xpsaz flesh, and 
<rd>£(o, I save). 

Effects and Uses. — Creasote, in large doses, is an acro- 
narcotic poison. In small doses, it is styptic and astrin- 
gent, and, though not very nearly allied to the vegetable 
astringent articles, which contain tannic acid, it is, perhaps, 
more generally administered for its astringent than for any 
other properties. It is an excellent remedy in hsemateme- 
sis, and is also employed in haemoptysis and other hemor- 
rhages. It is very efficacious in allaying vomiting and 
gastric irritability, and has been exhibited for its astrin- 
gent virtues with good effect in diarrhoea, diabetes, and 
chronic bronchitis, and as a nervine in epilepsy, hysteria, 
neuralgia, &c. Externally, it is applied, in various degrees 
of dilution, to indolent, sloughing, and foul ulcers; in 
several cutaneous affections; as a gargle in putrid sore 
throat; and for the relief of deafness. In the concentrated 
form, it is a good styptic in capillary hemorrhages, and is 
applied with effect to the hollows of carious teeth for the 
removal of the pain of toothache. There is no antidote 
in cases of poisoning from creasote, but stimulants are to 
be freely administered. 

Dose, internally, one or two drops, frequently repeated, 
in pill, or diluted with mucilage. 

For external use, from two to six drops, or more, may 
be added to a fluidounce of distilled water. 



PREPARATIONS OF LEAD. 141 

Aqua Creasoti [Creasote Water) contains 3.72 minims in 
each fluidounce. Dose, f5j-iv. 

Creasote ointment contains half a fluidrachm of creasote 
in an ounce of lard. 



MINERAL ASTRINGENTS. 
PLUMBI PR.ZEPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF LEAD. 

Metallic lead is considered inert. The sulphuret and 
sulphate are prohably also inactive ; but, with these excep- 
tions, all the compounds of lead possess more or less acti- 
vity. When administered in therapeutical doses, they act 
as astringents in the alimentary canal, checking secretion, 
and causing constipation. After absorption, they produce 
a diminution in the volume and frequency of the pulse and 
in the activity of the secreting functions, and frequently 
arrest sanguineous discharges, both natural and artificial. 
In excessive doses, several of the saturnine compounds are 
irritant and corrosive poisons, giving rise to gastro-enteric 
inflammation. The proper antidotes are sulphuric acid, or 
some alkaline or earthy sulphate, in solution in a large 
quantity of diluent. The hydrated sesquisulphuret of iron 
is also said to act as an antidote. The tests for lead are sul- 
phuretted hydrogen, and a solution of iodide of potassium ; 
the former strikes a black and the latter a yellow precipi- 
tate. 

When the system becomes impregnated with lead, either 
from the too long-continued use of its preparations medi- 
cinally, from drinking water drawn through lead pipes, or 
from exposure to its influence in lead-factories, &c, a pecu- 
liar kind of chronic poisoning is produced, which shows itself 
in a variety of symptoms. The most usual form of lead 
poisoning is colic, sometimes termed colica pictonum or 
painters' colic, which is characterized by sharp abdominal 
pains, with hardness and depression of the abdominal pa- 



142 MATERIA MEDICA. 

rietes, obstinate constipation, nausea, vomiting, &c. Next 
in frequency is lead arthralgy, in which there are severe 
pains in the limbs, attended by cramps, hardness, and ten- 
sion of the painful parts. Lead paralysis is another, though 
less common variety of the disease, and is characterized by 
a loss of voluntary motion, owing to the want of contrac- 
tility of the muscular fibres of the affected parts. It most 
frequently affects the upper extremities and the extensor 
rather than the flexor muscles. Occasionally, functional 
disease of the brain is also observed as one of the conse- 
quences of lead poisoning. The absorption of lead into 
the system is recognized by a saturnine coloration of the 
gums, of the mucous membrane of the mouth, and of the 
teeth. The antidotical treatment of chronic lead poisoning 
consists in the internal administration of solutions of sul- 
phuric acid and of soluble alkaline and earthy sulphates, 
and in the use of baths of sulphuret of potassium, dissolved 
in warm water, by which the salts of lead, deposited on the 
skin, are converted into the insoluble sulphuret. The iodide 
of potassium is recommended as an eliminative remedy. For 
lead colic, a combination of cathartics and opiates has been 
employed ; but the best remedy is alum in doses of 5j or 
5ij, every three or four hours, dissolved in some demulcent 
liquid. In the treatment of lead palsy, strychnia and elec- 
tricity may be used, but it is a very intractable form of the 
disease. 

Therapeutically, the preparations of lead are employed as 
astringents, sedatives, and desiccants. For internal use, 
the acetate is almost exclusively employed. It is a most 
valuable remedy in hemorrhages, from its combined seda- 
tive and astringent influence, and is also very serviceable 
in fluxes from the mucous membranes, particularly of the 
bowels. Topically, lead washes are employed to relieve 
superficial inflammation, to arrest morbid discharges, and 
as desiccants. 

Plumbi Acetas (Acetate of Lead). This salt, known also 
as Saccharum Saturni or Sugar of Lead, is made by immers- 



PREPARATIONS OF LEAD. 143 

ing lead in distilled vinegar, or litharge in pyroligneous 
or crude acetic acid. It occurs in colorless, needle-shaped 
crystals, which effloresce on exposure to the air. They 
have an acetous odor, and a sweetish, astringent taste, and 
are soluble in both water and alcohol. The mineral acids 
and their soluble salts, the alkalies and alkaline earths, and 
vegetable astringents, are incompatible with acetate of lead. 

Effects and Uses. — The effects of this salt are those of the 
saturnine preparations, which have been already described. 
Its medicinal influence is sedative and astringent. In he- 
morrhages, it is more employed internally than any other 
remedy, usually in combination with opium. And this 
combination is also much resorted to in the treatment of 
diarrhoea, dysentery, and cholera, and may be prescribed 
with advantage to check the secretion of bronchitis and 
the night sweats of phthisis. In yellow fever, it is em- 
ployed with advantage to check the hemorrhagic condition 
of the gastric mucous membrane. It is a dangerous 
remedy in chronic diseases, from the liability to lead poi- 
soning. As a topical remedy, acetate of lead, in aqueous 
solution, is extensively employed to relieve inflammation 
and diminish morbid discharges. 

Dose, gr. j or ij to gr. viij or x, two or three times a day. 
When applied to mucous membranes, the strength of the 
solution may be gr. ss to gr. j or ij, to water fgj — for phleg- 
monous inflammation, 5\j to water Oj. 
• Liquor Plumbi Subacetatls (Solution of Subacetate of 
Lead). This preparation, frequently termed Goulard's Ex- 
tract, is an aqueous solution of the diacetate of lead, and 
is made by boiling acetate of lead and litharge in distilled 
water. It is a colorless liquid, which is decomposed on ex- 
posure to the air with the formation of insoluble carbonate 
of lead, and occasions a dense white precipitate with solu- 
tion of gum. In other respects it resembles a solution of 
acetate of lead.. 

Uses. — It is chiefly employed, diluted, to promote the 
resolution of external inflammation and arrest discharges 



144 MATERIA MEDICA. 

from suppurating, ulcerated, and mucous surfaces. The 
officinal dilution is Liquor Plumbi Subacetatis dilutus, com- 
monly known as lead water, and consists of solution f5iij, 
to distilled water Oj. Ceratum Plumbi Subacetatis, or Gou- 
lard's Cerate, is made with Goulard's Extract, white wax, 
olive oil, and camphor, and is an admirable dressing to 
excoriated and blistered surfaces, burns, scalds, &c. 

Plumbi Iodldum (Iodide of Lead), is made by the double 
reaction of solutions of nitrate of lead and iodide of potas- 
sium. It is a bright-yellow, heavy, inodorous powder, 
sparingly soluble in cold water, but readily soluble in boil- 
ing water. It is chiefly used to reduce the volume of in- 
dolent tumors, and may be given internally in the dose of 
gr. iij or iv, or more, in pill; but it is principally employed 
externally in the form of ointment (5j to lard gj). 

Plumbi Nitras (Nitrate of Lead), made by dissolving 
litharge in diluted nitric acid, occurs in white, nearly 
opaque octohedral crystals, permanent in the air, of a 
sweet, astringent taste, and soluble in water and alcohol. 
It may be given internally, as a sedative astringent, in doses 
of gr. \ to gr. j, twice or thrice daily, in pill or solution. 
But its principal use is as a topical agent in the treatment 
of wounds, ulcers, and cutaneous affections. Ledoyen's 
Disinfecting Fluid is a solution of nitrate of lead 5j in water 

fSj. 

Plumbi Oxidum (Oxide of Lead), or Litharge, is obtained 
in the process for extracting silver from argentiferous 
galenas. It occurs in minute yellowish or orange-colored 
scales, insoluble in water, and is never employed internally. 
It is sometimes sprinkled over ulcers, but its chief use is 
in the preparation of Emplastrum Plumbi or Lead Plaster 
(called also diachylon), which is made by boiling litharge 
with olive oil and water, and is, chemically, a mixture of 
oleate and margarate of lead. It serves as a basis for most 
of the other plasters. Emplastrum Saponis (Soap Plaster), 
made by rubbing up soap with lead plaster, is an excellent 



ALUM. 145 

discutient. Soap Cerate is made by melting together soap 
plaster, wax, and oil. 

Plumbi Carbonas [Carbonate of Lead), or White Lead, 
is manufactured in this country by exposing lead to the 
fumes of vinegar or acetic acid. It is a white powder, 
without smell or taste, and insoluble in water. It is never 
administered internally, but is employed as a dusting pow- 
der — though there is danger of its absorption. Unguen- 
tum Plumbi Carbonatis is a good application to burns, &c. 



ALUMEN — ALUM. 

Alum is a double salt, a sulphate of alumina and po- 
tassa. . Xt is found native in the neighborhood of volca- 
noes, but is usually manufactured from alum ores, and 
sometimes by the direct combination of its constituents. 
It crystallizes in regular octohedrons ; but it is commonly 
found in the shops in large, colorless, transparent, crystal- 
line masses, without any regular form. It has an astrin- 
gent and sweetish, acid taste ; by exposure to the air it 
slowly effloresces ; it is soluble in cold water, and more so 
in boiling water ; and when heated, it undergoes the wa- 
tery fusion, swells up, gives out its water of crystallization 
and is converted into a white, spongy mass, called dried 
alum. The alkalies and their carbonates, lime-water, mag- 
nesia and its carbonate, tartrate of potassa, acetate of lead, 
and the vegetable astringents, are incompatible with alum. 

Besides the common, or potash alum, there are varieties 
in which the potash is replaced by some other base, as am- 
monia or soda. 

Physiological Effects. — The immediate topical effect of 
alum is that of a powerful astringent, in virtue of a che- 
mical action on the tissues. When it is applied to a part, 
in large quantities, the astriction is soon followed by irri- 
tation ; and thus, taken internally fh excessive doses, it 
gives rise to vomiting, griping, purging, and even inflam- 

10 



146 MATERIA MEDICA. 

mation of the gastroenteric mucous membrane. After 
its absorption, it acts as an astringent on the system gene- 
rally, and produces astriction of the tissues and fibres, and 
a diminution of secretion. 

Medicinal Uses. — Alum is employed internally in hemor- 
rhages, chronic diarrhoea, colliquative sweating, diabetes, 
&c, and it is sometimes combined with cubebs in the treat- 
ment of gleet, gonorrhoea, and leucorrhcea. It has been 
recommended in dilatation of the heart and aneurism of 
the aorta, and has also been given as an emetic in croup. 
Its use in lead colic has been alluded to. As a topical re- 
medy it is extremely valuable as an astringent antiphlogis- 
tic, in ophthalmia, diphtheria, tonsillitis, &c; to produce 
contraction of the tissues, in relaxation of the uvula, pro- 
lapsus ani, &c. ; as a styptic in hemorrhages ; and to arrest 
excessive secretion from the mucous surfaces. 

Dose, gr. x to 3j or 3ij, in powder, or solution, or made 
into pills, with some tonic extract, and combined with an 
aromatic, as nutmeg, to prevent nausea. It maybe agreea- 
bly given in the form of whey, prepared by boiliDg 5ij with 
milk Oj, and straining, of which the dose is fgij. Topi- 
cally, it is employed in the forms of powder, solution, and 
poultice, the latter of which is made by rubbing up whites 
of eggs with alum, and is applied to the eye in ophthal- 
mia, between folds of linen. Dried alum (Alumen exsicca- 
tum), is employed internally in the dose of gr. v-x, and 
externally as a mild escharotic. 

Alumina Sulphas (Sulphate of Alumina), is employed 
externally as an astringent and antiseptic application to 
ulcers, an injection in gonorrhoea, &c. The aqueous solu- 
tion is used to preserve bodies for dissection. 



ORDER VI. — STIMULANTS. 

Stimulants, termed also excitants, are medicines, which, 
by exciting the nervous and vascular systems, produce a 



ALCOHOL. 147 

temporary exaltation of the vital functions. Their action 
on the heart and arteries increases the temperature of the 
body, whence they are frequently denominated calefacients. 
In their passage out of the system, they stimulate the se- 
creting organs, and often prove efficient diaphoretics, diu- 
retics, and expectorants. Topically, they irritate and in- 
flame the parts to which they are applied, and hence are 
classed with irritants. 

They are employed principally in disorders known as 
asthenic, and in all conditions of the system attended 
with exhaustion. From their action in arousing the ener- 
gies of the nervous system, they exercise a control over 
many nervous disorders, particularly those of a spasmodic 
nature. They are also frequently given with a view to 
their action on some one or other of the secretions. As 
stimulants to the gastro-intestinal canal, they are adminis- 
tered to promote digestion (when they are called stomachics), 
and to dispel flatulence (when they are known as carmina- 
tives). Topically, they are employed as rubefacients, vesi- 
cants, &c. 

The more powerful and rapid stimulants are called diffu- 
sible. The stage of excitement which they produce is of a 
transient nature, and is generally followed by a condition of 
reaction. In overdoses, they act as violent narcotics and 
sedatives. The diffusible stimuli usually employed are 
vinous and spirituous liquors, and the preparations of am- 
monia. Vegetable stimulants which contain a volatile oil, 
are termed aromatics, and are usually given as stomachics 
and carminatives. Their volatile oils are also employed as 
local irritants. 



DIFFUSIBLE STIMULANTS. 
ALCOHOL. 

Alcohol is a product which results from a process termed 
the vinous fermentation, in substances containing grape- 



148 MATERIA MEDICA. 

sugar. At a temperature of 80° F., the presence of a fer- 
menting body converts a solution of grape-sugar into alco- 
hol and carbonic acid. Starchy substances, being conver- 
tible into grape-sugar, also yield alcohol. Alcohol is ob- 
tained from vinous or fermented liquors, by repeated dis- 
tillation. For officinal purposes, it should be of the spe- 
cific gravity 0.835, when it contains about fifteen per cent. 
of water. It is a colorless, inflammable liquid, wholly va- 
porizable by heat, and unites in all proportions with water 
and ether. A stronger alcohol, alcohol fortius, sp. gr. 0.817, 
is made by shaking officinal alcohol with heated carbonate 
of potassa. This is free from water and fusel oil, and is 
used for pharmaceutical purposes. 

Physiological Effects. — Alcohol is the intoxicating ingre- 
dient of all vinous and spirituous liquors. It is a power- 
ful diffusible stimulant — in small doses, exciting the vas- 
cular and nervous systems, increasing the heat of the body, 
exhilarating the mental faculties, and stimulating the se- 
cretions. In excessive quantity, it acts as a narcotic poi- 
son, producing coma and death. The treatment in cases 
of poisoning from alcohol is the same as that which is to 
be pursued in cases of poisoning from opium. The ha- 
bitual use of alcoholic stimuli in excess gives rise to a well- 
known train of mental and physical disorders : dyspepsia, 
visceral obstructions, gout, dropsy, mania-a-potu, and even 
confirmed insanity. Topically, alcohol acts as an irritant. 

Medicinal Uses. — Alcohol, in the form of vinous and 
spirituous liquors, is employed to rouse and support the 
system in asphyxia, syncope, the latter stages of acute at- 
tacks, typhoid and malignant diseases, and in poisoning 
from fox-glove, tobacco, and other narcotics ; also as a sto- 
machic in colic, flatulence, indigestion, nausea, &c. As a 
topical application, alcohol is used to produce cold by its 
evaporation ; as a styptic ;• to harden the cuticle over deli- 
cate parts ; and as a stimulant. Mixed with white of eggs, 
it forms a good coating to bed-sores. 

Alcohol Dilutum (Diluted Alcohol), or Proof Spirit, con- 



PREPARATIONS OF ALCOHOL. 149 

sists of equal parts of alcohol and distilled water, and has 
a sp. gr. 0.941. It is used exclusively for pharmaceutical 
purposes. 

Vinum (Wine). The fermented juice of the grape con- 
sists of water and alcohol in varying proportions, with vo- 
latile oil, oenanthic ether, tannic,. malic, and other acids, 
bitartrate of potassa, &c. Wine loses most of its cream of 
tartar by age. It is employed medicinally, to support the 
system in typhus and typhoid fevers, exhausting chronic 
diseases, extensive suppurations, gangrene, &c. In low 
fevers, it constitutes our chief therapeutic resource, and 
may be administered to the amount of one or two pints, 
in the twenty-four . hours, either pure, or in the form of 
wine-whey. This is made by adding from a gill to half a 
pint of white wine to a pint of boiling milk, separating the 
curd from the whey, and flavoring with sugar and spices. 

The officinal wines are Vinum Xericum (Sherry), and 
Vlnum Portense (Port). Port contains tannic acid, and is 
preferred in dysentery, diarrhoea, &c, for its astringency. 
Madeira, which is the strongest of the white wines, is an 
excellent stimulant, but may be objectionable from its 
acidity. Champagne is a pleasant stimulant, where gastric 
irritability is present. Madeira and Port contain about 23 
per cent, of alcohol; Sherry, 19 per cent. ; Champagne, 13 
per cent. As articles of diet, the stronger wines, when 
used in excess, often produce gout, dropsy, and diseases of 
the kidneys and liver ; and, except in advanced age, and 
in feeble constitutions, cannot but be considered as objec- 
tionable. 

The malt liquors are useful where more permanent sti- 
muli are called for, as in diseases tending to emaciation, 
chronic abscesses, &c. The best are porter and ale. 

Spiritus Vini Gallici (Brandy), is obtained by the dis- 
tillation of wine. It contains about 50 per cent, of alco- 
hol, with water, volatile oil, tannic acid, coloring matter, 
&c. It is the best stimulus, where a rapid and decided im- 
pression is called for, as in collapse, syncope, &c. ; and. 



150 MATERIA MEDICA. 

from the tannic acid which it contains, is useful in bowel- 
complaints. Rum, the ardent spirit obtained from sugar, 
and whiskey (spiritus frumenti), obtained by the distillation 
of fermented infusions of corn, may be used as substi- 
tutes for brandy. Spiritus myrcice (bay-rum), the spirit ob- 
tained by distilling rum with the leaves of myrcia acris, 
is a refreshing local application. Gin is corn spirit flavored 
with juniper; and, owing to the oil of juniper, which it 
holds in solution, it is an active diuretic as well as stimu- 
lant. Arrack, the spirit of Eastern countries, is prepared 
from fermented infusions of rice. 



AMMONITE PR^PARATA — PREPARATIONS OF 

AMMONIA. 

Ammonia is a gaseous compound of hydrogen and ni- 
trogen (NH 3 ), usually obtained by the action of lime on 
sal ammoniac (or muriate of ammonia). It is a powerful 
stimulant and local irritant, but is rarely used in medicine. 
The following preparations of Ammonia are employed as 
diffusible stimuli : 

Aqua Ammonia Fortior (Stronger Water of Ammonia). 
This is an aqueous solution of ammonia, of the specific 
gravity 0.900. It is a colorless liquid, of a caustic, acrid 
taste, and a very pungent odor of ammonia ; and is too 
strong for medicinal use in its unmixed state, containing 
26 per cent, of gaseous ammonia. It is a powerful corro- 
sive poison, for which the diluted acids, as vinegar, lemon 
juice, &c, are the proper antidotes. 

Aqua Ammonite ( Water of Ammonia), has a specific gra- 
vity of 0.960, containing nearly 10 per cent, of ammonia, 
and is employed as a stimulant, sudorific, antacid, and ru- 
befacient. As a stimulant, ammonia is admirably adapted 
for speedily rousing the action of the vascular and respi- 
ratory systems, particularly when it is an object at the 
same time to promote the action of the skin. For this 
purpose it is employed in low forms of disease, par- 



PREPARATIONS OF AMMONIA. 151 

ticularly in the typhoid exanthemata, in syncope, in as- 
phyxia from narcotic poisons, and to counteract the effects 
of the bites of venomous animals. In dyspepsia, it is use- 
ful with a view to the relief both of acidity and flatulence. 
For internal use, other preparations of ammonia are gene- 
rally preferred, and this is used chiefly as a vesicant and 
rubefacient. As a vesicant, it has the advantage over can- 
tharides of a more speedy operation and non-affection of 
the urinary organs. It may be employed either in the 
form of ointment or solution. As a rubefacient, the offici- 
nal liniment may be used (one part of water of ammonia to 
two of olive oil). Dose, internally, ten to thirty drops, 
largely diluted. 

Spimtus Ammonle (Spirit of Ammonia) is a solution of 
ammonia in alcohol. It is given as a stimulant, antispas- 
modic, and carminative, in the dose often to thirty drops, 
diluted with water. But a pleasanter preparation, with 
similar properties, is — 

Spiritus Ammonia Aromaticus (Aromatic Spirit of Am- 
monia). This is made by distilling a mixture of carbonate 
of ammonia and water of ammonia with the oils of lemdns, 
nutmeg, and lavender, and alcohol and water. It is a very 
agreeable antacid stomachic and stimulant, and. may be 
given in the dose of thirty drops to f5j, or more, diluted 
with water. 

Ammonia Carbonas (Carbonate of Ammonia). This salt, 
sometimes termed volatile alkali, is a sesquicarbonate, and is 
prepared by subliming a mixture of muriate of ammonia 
and chalk. It occurs in whitish, transparent masses, 
wholly dissipated by heat, of a puDgent, ammoniacal odor, 
an acrid, alkaline taste, and is soluble without residue in 
water. On exposure to the air, it becomes opaque, falls 
into powder, and deteriorates by the loss of ammonia. 

Effects and Uses. — Its indications are the same as those 
of solution of ammonia, to which it is preferred for inter- 
nal exhibition as a diffusible stimulant. It has also been 
recommended in diabetes, and in scrofula, attended with 



152 MATERIA MEDICA. 

a languid circulation. Dose, gr. v to xx, in pill, or prefer- 
ably in solution with gum and sugar. Mixed with some 
aromatic oil (as that of bergamot or lavender), it is used, 
as a smelling salt, in syncope, hysteria, &c. 

Phosphorus has been used, in small doses, as a diffusi- 
ble stimulant; it is also diuretic and aphrodisiac. In over- 
doses, however, it is a most violent irritant poison, and is 
too dangerous for general medicinal use. Dose, gr. T \ to 
gr. J, dissolved in almond or sweet oil, chloroform, ether, 
or oil of turpentine. In cases of poisoning from phos- 
phorus, after the administration of an emetic, magnesia 
should be given, suspended in large quantities of water. 



AROMATICS. 

Aromatics owe their virtues to the presence of oils, 
obtained from them by distillation, and termed volatile 
oils {plea volatilia), sometimes also distilled and essential 
oils. These oils possess, in a high degree, the odor and 
taste of the plants from which they are procured. Lo- 
cally, they are powerful irritants, and taken into the 
stomach in overdoses act as acrid poisons. They pass 
partially into vapor at ordinary temperatures, and are 
completely volatilized by heat : hence, decoctions and ex- 
tracts are improper preparations of the aromatics. The 
distilled oils are inflammable, very slightly soluble in 
water, but soluble in alcohol and ether. Their ultimate 
constituents are, usually, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; 
and, on exposure to the air, they gradually absorb oxygen, 
become thicker, less odorous, and of a deeper color, and 
are finally converted into resins. 



CAPSICUM — CAYENNE PEPPER. 

Cayenne pepper is the fruit of Capsicum annuum and 



BLACK PEPPER. 153 

other species of Capsicum (Nat. Ord. Solanacese), American 
tropical plants, naturalized in most warm climates, and 
cultivated in our gardens. C. annuum is an annual, about 
two feet high, with an herbaceous, crooked, branching 
stem; ovate, pointed leaves ; greenish- white flowers ; and 
pendulous pod-like berries of a crimson or yellow color, 
two or three inches long. These pods, when dried and 
ground, form Cayenne pepper, the best of which is the 
African. Powdered capsicum has a bright-red color, which 
fades upon exposure to light; an aromatic, peculiar smell, 
and a bitterish, acrid, burning taste. The active principle 
is an oily or resinous substance, termed capsicin, which is 
slightly soluble in water, but very much so in alcohol, 
ether, and oil of turpentine. 

Effects and Uses. — Capsicum is principally employed as 
a condiment and stomachic, and is very useful in torpid con- 
ditions of the digestive organs, or as an adjunct to other 
remedies to rouse the susceptibility of the stomach. Its 
constitutional effect is not in proportion to its local effect, 
and it is therefore of no great efficiency as a diffusible sti- 
mulant. It has, however, been recommended in cynanche 
maligna and scarlatina anginosa. As a gargle, it is much 
employed in the sore throat of scarlatina, and also as a cata- 
plasm to cause counter-irritation. Dose of the powder, 
gr. v to gr. x, in pill ; of the tincture (a troyounce to diluted 
alcohol Oij), f 5j or f 5\j ; of the infusion, which is used also 
for a gargle (half a troyounce to boiling water Oj), f§ss. 
The oleoresin is a powerful rubefacient, and may be given 
internally in the dose of a drop. 



PIPEft — BLACK PEPPER. 

Black Pepper is the berries of Piper Nigrum (Nat. Oi^d. 
Piperaceee), a vine of the East Indies. The berries are 
gathered before they are quite ripe, and dried in the sun. 
They are wrinkled' and black, in consequence of the dry- 



154 MATERIA MEDICA. 

ing of the pulp over the grayish-white seed, and in this 
state are known as black pepper. If permitted to ripen, 
and soaked in water till the outer coat is removed, they 
constitute white pepper. Pepper has an aromatic, peculiar 
odor, and a hot, spicy, pungent taste. Its properties are 
taken up by alcohol and ether, and partially by water. It 
contains a volatile oil, an acrid resin, and a peculiar neutral 
crystalline principle, called piperin, which has been used as 
an anti-intermittent remedy. Piperin is, however, of little 
efficacy, and owes it virtues to an admixture of the vola- 
tile oil. 

Effects and Uses. — Pepper is a warm carminative stimu- 
lant, chiefly employed as a condiment; but it is also a use- 
ful stomachic, and a good adjunct to bark in the treatment 
of intermittent fevers. Dose, gr. v to gr. xx. Of the oleo- 
resin the dose is 1-3 drops. 



CINNAMOMUM — CINNAMON. 

There are two varieties of cinnamon : Ceylon cinnamon, 
which is the bark of Ciunamomum Zeylanicum [Nat. Ord. 
Lauracese), a tree of Ceylon and Java ; and China Cinna- 
mon, or Cassia, the bark of Ciunamomum aromaticum 
(Nat. Ord. Lauracese), a tree of China. The most esteemed, 
is the Ceylon cinnamon. To obtain this, the bark is peeled 
from branches which are three years old ; the epidermis is 
afterwards scraped off; the smaller quills are introduced 
into the larger ones, and they are then dried in the sun and 
made into bundles. It is found in the shops in long, cylin- 
drical pieces, which are very thin and smooth, and of a 
yellow-brown color, and a splintery fracture. It has a 
fragrant odor, and a warm, sweetish, aromatic, slightly 
astringent taste. Its constituents are volatile oil, a little 
tannic acid, mucilage, an acid, liguin, &c. The greater 
part, however, of the cinnamon brought to this country is 
the cassia cinnamon. It has the general appearance, smell, 



NUTMEG. 155 

and taste of true cinnamon. But its substance is thicker. 



its texture coarser, its fracture shorter, its color darker, 
browner, and duller, and its flavor less sweet, and more 
pungent and astringent. Its properties are identical with 
those of the Ceylon variety. 

Effects and Uses. — Cinnamon is an aromatic stimulant, 
with a slight astringency. It is used chiefly as a carmina- 
tive, and as an addition to other medicines. Dose, gr. x 
to 5ss ; of the tincture (three troyounces to diluted alcohol 
Oij), the dose is f 5j to f5iij. Oleum cinnamomi (oil of cinna- 
mon), is of a light-yellow color, which deepens by exposure 
to the air, with the development of an acid, termed cinna- 
mic. Dose, one or two drops. Aqua cinnamomi {cinnamon 
water), is prepared by rubbing up the oil with carbonate of 
magnesia, adding distilled water, and filtering. It is used 
as a vehicle for other medicines. Spiritus cinnamomi (spirit 
of cinnamon), contains one part of the oil dissolved in fifteen 
parts of stronger alcohol. Dose, ten to twenty drops. 
Cinnamon enters into a large number of preparations. 



MYRISTICA — NUTMEG. 
MACIS — MACE. 

These products are portions of the fruit of Myristica 
moschata (Nat. Ord. Myristicacese), a tree of the Moluccas, 
cultivated also in Java and Sumatra, and other parts of the 
East Indies, and introduced into the isles of France and 
Bourbon, and several of the West India islands. It 
bears a pyriform fruit, about the size of a small peach, 
which has a fleshy pericarp, opened by two longitudinal 
valves. Within this is the arillus, a scarlet reticulated 
membrane, which, when dry, becomes yellow-brown and 
brittle, and is termed mace. The kernels of the fruit are 
the nutmegs. They are oval, of the size of an olive, with 
a hard, dark-brown, shining shell, marked by the mace; 
and to preserve them from the attacks of an insect, they 



156 MATERIA MEDICA. 

are steeped in a mixture of lime and water. Mace has a 
pleasant, aromatic smell, and a warm, bitterish, pungent 
taste. Nutmegs have a delightfully fragrant odor, and a 
warm, aromatic, grateful taste. 

Nutmegs contain a volatile oil, and by expression yield 
a fatty substance, known as " butter of nutmegs." From 
mace, also, a volatile oil is obtained by distillation. 

Effects and Uses. — Nutmeg is one of the most agreeable 
of the aromatic stimulants, and is much employed for its 
carminative virtues, also as a flavoring ingredient, and to 
obviate the griping effects of cathartics. It is said to have 
narcotic properties, and hence may be useful in bowel- 
complaints. Mace is chiefly employed as a condiment. 
Dose of either, 3j to 5ss. Oleum myristicce (oil of nutmeg), 
is of a pale straw-color. Dose,. 2 or 3 drops. Spiritus my- 
risticce contains two troyounces of nutmeg in eight pints 
of diluted alcohol. Dose, f5j or fSij. 



CARY0PHYLLUS — CLOVES. 

Cloves are the unexpanded flowers of Caryophyllus 
aromaticus [Nat. Ord. Myrtacese), an evergreen tree of the 
Moluccas. They are from Ave to ten lines long, and from 
one line to one and a half thick, the corolla forming a ball 
or sphere at the top, and the calyx a tapering, somewhat 
quadrangular base, resembling a nail, whence the common 
name, from the French, clou. When good, they are of a 
dark-brown color, with a yellowish-red tint ; they have a 
strong, fragrant odor, a hot acrid taste, and when pressed 
with the nail, should give out oil. They contain a vola- 
tile oil, tannic acid, resin, &c, and two crystalline princi- 
ples, termed caryophyllin and eugenin; the oil consists of 
two oils, a heavy oil and a light oil. 

Effects and Uses. — Cloves are among the most stimu- 
lating of the aromatics, but are chiefly used as a flavoring 
ingredient and as a condiment. Dose, gr. v to gr. x. The 



' OIL OF TURPENTINE. 157 

infusion (5ij, to boiling water Oj) is a warm, grateful sto- 
machic. The oil, oleum caryophylli, is pale, or yellowish, 
becoming darker by age. Dose, 2 to 6 drops. 



PIMENTA — PIMENTO. 

Pimento, called also Allspice, is the unripe berries of 
Eugenia Pimenta (Nat Oral. Myrtacese), a handsome ever- 
green tree of the West Indies and South America. It 
consists of round, dull, roughish berries, rather larger than 
black peppercorns, with an external hard, brittle shell, in- 
closing two dark-brown seeds. They have an aromatic, 
agreeable smell, and a strong clove-like taste. They are 
principally used as a condiment. The oil, oleum pimentos, 
has a brownish-red color. Dose, 3 to 6 drops. A spirit is 
made by dissolving the oil in diluted alcohol. 

Oleum Cajuputi ( Cajeput Oil). The volatile oil of the 
leaves of the Melaleuca Cajuputi (Nat Oral. Myrtacese), a 
tree of the Moluccas, is a powerful diffusible aromatic sti- 
mulant, much employed in Eastern countries, and of late 
coming into use in the United States. It is a transparent 
oil, of a fine green color, a lively penetrating odor, analo- 
gous to that of camphor and cardamom, and a warm, pun- 
gent taste. It is an admirable stomachic, for the relief of 
nausea, and is also used as an antispasmodic stimulant in 
low fevers, spasmodic cholera, &c. Dose, 1 to 5 drops. 



OLEUM TEREBINTHIN.E — OIL OF TURPENTINE. 

Oil of turpentine, commonly called spirit of turpentine, 
is obtained by distillation from the turpentine of Pinus pa- 
lustris and other species of Pinus (Nat Ord. Pinacese). 
"When pure, it is a limpid, colorless, volatile, and inflam- 
mable liquid, of a strong, penetrating, peculiar odor, and 
a hot, pungent, bitterish taste. It is lighter than water, 



158 MATERIA MEDIC A. 

very slightly soluble in it, less soluble in alcohol than most 
other volatile oils, and readily soluble in ether. 

Effects and Uses. — Oil of turpentine is stimulant, diu- 
retic, blennorrhetic, and anthelmintic, and, externally, ru- 
befacient. As a stimulant, it is a very valuable remedy in 
low forms of fever, particularly where the abdomen is 
tympanitic, the tongue dry, and the bowels are ulcerated. 
It is employed also with advantage in morbid discharges 
from mucous membranes, hemorrhages, rheumatism, nerv- 
ous disorders, atonic dropsy, gleet, nephritic and calculous 
affections, and as an anthelmintic in taenia. Enemata of 
the oil of turpentine are particularly serviceable for the re- 
lief of tympanitis. Externally, it is used for purposes of 
counter-irritation. 

Dose, as a stimulant or diuretic, five to thirty drops, re- 
peated; as an anthelmintic or as an enema, fgss to fgij. 

ZINGIBER — GINGER. 

Ginger is the rhizoma of Zingiber officinale (Nat. Ord. 
Zingiberacese), a perennial, herbaceous plant, growing to 
the height of two or three feet, with long, lanceolate 
leaves and yellow flowers. Its native country is unknown ; 
but it has been cultivated in Asia from time immemorial, 
and was early introduced into the tropical regions of this 
country. Ginger root occurs in nattish, jointed, branched, 
or lobed palmate pieces, which rarely exceed four inches 
in length. In the young state, the roots are preserved in 
sugar, and form a very pleasant sweetmeat. When old, 
they are taken up, scalded in hot water, and dried, when 
they are known as black ginger. Sometimes they are 
scraped, previous to being dried, and are then called white, 
or Jamaica ginger. The former comes from the East In- 
dies ; the latter, from the West Indies. The powder of 
black ginger is yellowish-brown; that of white ginger, 
yellowish-white. Both varieties have a powerful, peculiar 
odor, and a warm, pungent, aromatic taste. They impart 



CARDAMOM. 159 

their virtues to water and. alcohol, and contain a pale-yel- 
low volatile oil, resin, starch, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — Ginger is a pungent, aromatic stimu- 
lant, much employed as a stomachic in flatulency and 
spasm of the stomach and bowels. It is also used as a 
condiment, and to correct the unpleasant taste and nau- 
seating qualities of other medicines. A paste made of the 
powder and warm water is used as counter-irritant. Dose, 
gr. x to gr. xx, in pill. An infusion (half a troyounce to 
boiling water Oj) ; a tincture (eight troyounces to alcohol 
Oij) ; and a syrup, made from the tincture, are all used. A 
fluid extract — dose, 20 to 30 drops, and an oleoresin — dose, 
1 to 2 drops, have been lately introduced. Troches of Gin- 
ger are made by mixing the tincture (§j) with tragacanth 
(5ij), sugar (twelve troyounces), and a little syrup of ginger. 



CARDAMOMUM — CARDAMOM. 

Cardamom is the fruit of Elettaria Cardamomum (Nat. 
Ord. Zingiberaceae), a perennial plant, from six to nine feet 
high, found in the mountainous parts of Malabar. Three 
varieties of Malabar cardamoms are known in commerce : 
shorts, short-longs, and long-longs, all furnished by the same 
plant. They are ovate-oblong, from three to ten lines long, 
coriaceous, ribbed, and of a grayish or brownish-yellow 
color; and contain a number of blackish or reddish-brown 
seeds, which have a pleasant aromatic odor, and a warm, 
aromatic, agreeable taste. They yield a colorless volatile 
oil, a fixed oil, starch, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — Cardamom is a very agreeable aro- 
matic, devoid of acridity, and is much employed as a sto- 
machic and carminative, and as an adjuvant and corrective 
of other medicines. Dose, gr. v-x. The tincture (four troy- 
ounces to diluted alcohol Oij) is the preparation chiefly 
used. Dose, f5j or f5ij. The compound tincture contains 
also caraway, cinnamon, honey, and cochineal. 



160 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



Pulvis Akomaticus (Aromatic Powder), consists of cin- 
namon and ginger, each two parts, cardamom seeds and 
nutmeg, each one part. Dose, gr. x to xxx. Confectio aro- 
matiea (aromatic confection), consists of aromatic powder 
rubbed up with an equal part of honey; it is a pleasant 
vehicle for other medicines. 



CALAMUS — SWEET FLAG. 

The rhizoma of Acorus Calamus (Nat. Ord. Orontia- 

Fig. 13. 




PARTRIDGE-BERRY. 



161 



cese), an indigenous marshy plant, with long, sword-shaped 
radical leaves, is a valuable aromatic stimulant, with some 
tonic properties. It is found in the shops in somewhat 
flattened pieces, deprived of their epidermis, wrinkled, and 
of a yellowish color, and has a strong, fragrant odor, and 
a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste. It contains volatile oil, 
resin, extractive, &c. Dose, 3j to 5j 5 or it may be given in 
infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj). 



GAULTHERIA — PARTRIDGE-BERRY. 



Gaultheria procumbens, Partridge-berry, or Tea-berry 
(Nat. Ord. Ericaceae), is a small indigenous evergreen 

Fig. 14. 



, 




lant, with one, and sometimes two reddish stems, a few 
inches in height, bright-green, obovate, coriaceous, serru- 
lated leaves, and white, ovate, five-toothed flowers, followed 
by scarlet berries. The leaves are the officinal portion, 

11 



162 MATERIA MEDICA. 

and contain a very stimulant volatile oil, which, when first 
distilled, is colorless, but gradually becomes reddish, and 
is distinguished as being the heaviest of the volatile oils. 
An infusion of the leaves, and an essence or alcoholic solu- 
tion of the oil, are in very general popular use as carmi- 
natives and stomachics. 



AURANTII CORTEX — ORANGE PEEL. 

The outer rind of the fruit of Citrus vulgaris, or 
Bitter Orange, and Citrus aurantium, or Sweet Orange 
(Nat. Ord. Aurantiacese), is much employed as a flavoring 
addition to other medicines. The flowers (Aurantii flores) 
yield the delightful volatile oil termed oil of neroli, and are 
used in the form of orange flower water (aqua aurantii florum) 
as an agreeable vehicle, possessing slight antispasmodic 
virtues ; a syrup of orange flowers is used for flavoring mix- 
tures. 

ARNICA. 

Arnica montana, Leopard's bane (Nat. Ord. Asteracese), 
is a perennial, herbaceous plant, found in Northern Ger- 
many and other northern countries of Europe, and also in 
the northwestern portion of America. The flowers are 
the officinal portion, and are brought here from Germany. 
They are large, of a fine orange-yellow color, of a strong, 
disagreeable odor when fresh (which is diminished by de- 
siccation), and an acrid, bitterish taste. The root also is 
used in Europe. Both contain a volatile oil, and an alkaloid 
principle termed arnicina has been found in them. Arnica 
is a stimulant, with emetic and cathartic properties in large 
doses. Its effects, internally, are not very well understood 
in this country, where it is little used, except externally, 
in the form of fomentation, or lotion, for the relief of 
bruises, sprains, and local paralyses. The alcoholic extract 



PENNYROYAL. 163 

is given in closes of gr. v-x. This is chiefly used, how- 
ever, in making a plaster (emplastrum, arnicce). The tincture 
(six troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij) is used as a local sti- 
mulant, often mixed with soap liniment. 

The following aromatics, of the natural order Lamiace^e, 
are pleasant carminatives and stomachics : 

Lavandula (Lavender). The flowers of Lavandula vera, 
a small European shrub, cultivated in our gardens, about 
two feet high, with linear or lanceolate leaves, and pur- 
plish-gray flowers, which are gathered in June, and dried 
in the shade. They have an agreeable, fragrant odor, and 
a pungent bitter taste. The oil, which is of a pale-yellow 
color, may be used in the dose of from one to five drops. 
But the preferred preparations are the Spirit (Spiritus La- 
vandulae), made by distilling the fresh lavender with alcohol 
and water, and the Compound Spirit (Spiritus Lavandulae 
Compositus), which contains also oil of rosemary, cinnamon, 
cloves, nutmeg, and red saunders. Dose, f5j- 

Mentha Piperita (Pepjyermint), and Mentha Virldis 
(Spearmint), are European plants, naturalized in the United 
States. The herbs of both are officinal, and have an aro- 
matic odor, and a pungent, somewhat bitter taste, followed 
by a sensation of coolness. They contain volatile oils, with 
some bitter extractive, &c. One to Hve drops of the oils 
may be given ; but they are usually administered in the 
form of essence or spirit (fgij to alcohol Oj), in the dose of 
ten to twenty or forty drops. A water is made by rubbing 
up either of the oils with carbonate of magnesia and water. 
The oil of peppermint is the stronger of the two. 

Rosmarinus (Rosemary). The tops of Rosmarinus offi- 
cinalis, or Rosemary, a European evergreen shrub, culti- 
vated in our gardens, contain a very stimulant volatile oil, 
which is chiefly used as an ingredient of rubefacient lini- 
ments. A spirit is made by dissolving the oil in alcohol. 

Hedeoma (Pennyroyal). Hedeoma pulegioides, or Penny- 
royal, is an indigenous annual plant, about a foot high, 



164 MATERIA MEDICA. 

with oblong-lanceolate, serrated leaves, and small, pale- 
blue flowers, arranged in axillary whorls. The whole 
herb is used, and contains a light-yellow essential oil, 
similar in properties to the mint oils, but somewhat more 
powerful. 

Monarda (Horsemint). The herb of Monarda punctata, 
or horsemint, an indigenous plant. The essential oil is 
chiefly used as a rubefacient. 

Origanum. The herb of Origanum vulgare, or common 
Marjoram. The essential oil is an ingredient in stimulat- 
ing liniments. 

Marrubium (Horehound). The herb of Marrubium 
vulgare possesses combined stimulant, tonic, and expec- 
torant properties, and, in large doses, proves laxative. It 
is chiefly used in cough syrups and candies. 

Salvia (Sage). The leaves of Salvia officinalis, a Euro- 
pean plant, cultivated in our gardens, are used as a con- 
diment, and as a gargle in sore throat and relaxed uvula ; 
they are slightly tonic and astringent, as well as aromatic. 

Thymus ( Thyme). The herb of Thymus vulgaris, yields 
an essential oil, oleum thymi, which is often substituted for 
oil of origanum, and is used as an external application. 

The following aromatic seeds are derived from plants 
of the natural order Apiaceje : 

Fceniculum (Fennel Seed). The fruit of Fceniculum 
vulgare, a European plant, cultivated in our gardens. 
They may be used in infusion; the dose of the oil is 5 to 
15 drops. 

Carum (Caraway). The fruit of Carum Carui, a Euro- 
pean plant, cultivated in this country. Dose of the oil, 1 
to 10 drops. 

Anisum (Anise). The fruit of Pimpinella Anisum, 
originally a native of Egypt, but now cultivated through- 
out the south of Europe. Dose of the oil, 5 to 15 drops. 
The oil of the fruit of Illicium anisatum, or Star Anise, 
an evergreen tree of Japan and China, possesses analogous 



FOXGLOVE. 165 

properties to those of oil of anise, and is much used as a 
substitute for it. 

Coriandrum [Coriander), the fruit of Coriandrum sati- 
vum, an annual plant of the South of Europe. 



ORDER VII. — SEDATIVES. 

Sedatives are medicines which diminish the force of the 
action of the circulation, by depressing the nervous in- 
fluence. Many narcotics, it has been seen, act as seda- 
tives: as some of the solanacese, aconite, hydrocyanic 
acid, &c. But under this head are usually classed the 
medicinal substances which are employed therapeutically 
to reduce excitement of the vascular system. 

With sedatives may be included also the medicinal 
agents, termed refrigerants, comprising nearly all the neu- 
tral alkaline salts, as well as those in which the acid 
predominates, and the vegetable acids. These substances 
have little power of diminishing the ordinary or healthy 
temperature ; but they lower febrile heat, allay thirst, re- 
store the secretions, and in this way are very useful adju- 
vants in the treatment of febrile complaints. 



DIGITALIS — FOXGLOVE. 

Digitalis purpurea, or Purple Foxglove {Nat Ord. Scro- 
phulariacese), is a biennial European plant, cultivated in 
our gardens, with an erect stem three or four feet high, 
large ovate-lanceolate, crenate, downy, and veiny leaves, 
of a dull-green color, and handsome bell-shaped crimson 
or purple flowers, arranged in a long terminal spike. The 
seeds and leaves both are active, but the latter only are 
employed, from plants of the second year's growth; and those 
from the wild plants are preferred, as the cultivated variety 
is thought to be inferior in virtue. The petioles are re- 



166 MATERIA MEDICA. 

moved, and the leaves are then dried in baskets, in a dark 
place, in a drying-stove. When dried, they have a dull- 
green color, with a faint odor, and a bitter, nauseous taste, 
and afford a fine deep-green powder. Both leaves and 
powder should be preserved in well-stoppered bottles, 
covered externally with dark-colored paper, and kept in 
a dark cupboard. And as their medicinal activity is im- 
paired by keeping, they should be renewed annually. 
They contain a principle termed digitaline, which possesses 
similar properties to those of the leaves. It is white, in- 
odorous, scarcely soluble in water, but very soluble in 
alcohol, and has been employed in medicine, in doses of 
from g^th to ^th of a grain. 

Physiological Effects. — The ordinary results of the admi- 
nistration of digitalis, in small and repeated doses, are an in- 
crease in the secretion of urine and a reduction of the fre- 
quenc} 7 and force of the pulse, sometimes accompanied by 
nausea; but these effects are not constant. The influence 
of digitalis over the pulse is more marked in weak and de- 
bilitated persons, than in those who are robust and pletho- 
ric. Its effects, too, in this particular, are more easily ob- 
tained in the recumbent than in the erect posture, owing 
to the less force required in the former position, to carry 
on the circulation. In the repeated use of small doses of 
this medicine, a cumulative effect is sometimes observed : 
its powers are not manifested for a certain time, and effects 
are suddenly produced, which are attributable to the whole 
amount administered, giving rise to dangerous and even 
fatal syncope. When too long continued, or taken in ex- 
cessive doses, digitalis acts as an acro-narcotic poison, pro- 
ducing effects similar to those of tobacco, lobelia, &c. In 
such cases, after evacuating the stomach, the diffusible sti- 
muli, as brandy and carbonate of ammonia, should be ad- 
ministered. The quantity of digitalis, however, that may 
be given, without destroying life, is considerable. 

Medicinal Uses. — From its sedative action on the circu- 
lation, digitalis has been used in fevers, inflammations, and 



AMERICAN HELLEBORE. 167 

hemorrhages, where bloodletting is inadmissible, as in 
hectic fever, tubercular hemoptysis, &c. In the treatment 
of diseases of the heart and great vessels, it is a remedy of 
the greatest value, to reduce the force and frequency of 
the circulation. From its action on the kidneys, it is 
greatly esteemed in the treatment of dropsy ; and in the 
varieties of this disorder, resulting from heart disease, it 
is more employed than any other remedy, from its com- 
bined sedative and diuretic influence. In delirium tre- 
mens, digitalis has lately been given in large doses, with 
excellent effect. 

Administration. — Digitalis is best given in poivder, of 
which the dose is gr. j, two or three times a day, to be 
gradually increased. An infusion is officinal (5j to boiling 
water Oss, with tincture of cinnamon fSj); but water is a 
bad solvent. The tincture (four troyounces to diluted al- 
cohol Oij), is a better preparation — dose, 10 to 20 drops, 
two or three times a day, to be gradually increased. The 
alcoholic extract is now introduced — dose, one-fourth of a 
grain to begin with. 

VERATRUM VIRIDE — AMERICAN HELLEBORE. 

Veratrum viride, known as Swamp Hellebore, Meadow 
Poke, Indian Poke, &c. (Nat. Ord. Melanthacese), is an in- 
digenous swampy plant, growing to the height of from 
three to six feet, with greenish-yellow flowers. The rhi- 
zoma is the officinal portion ; it is an inch or two in length, 
thick and fleshy, with numerous whitish radicles, and is 
usually found in the shops in small pieces or fragments, of 
a dingy-white color. It has a bitter, acrid taste, which 
leaves a permanent impression in the mouth and fauces. 
It yields its virtues to water and alcohol, and contains an 
alkaloid, ver atria (which is officinal), and a resinous sub- 
stance, which is supposed to be the most powerful agent 
in reducing the pulse. 

Effects and Uses. — American hellebore is an active local 



r 

168 MATERIA MEDICA. 

irritant. Taken internally, it somewhat promotes the flow 
of urine, and in doses of about two grains, proves emetic. 
In continued doses, it produces a marked sedative action on 
the circulation, irrespective of the nausea induced, which 
indeed may be prevented by careful administration. It 
has not generally proved laxative. No fatal effects are re- 
corded from its use ; stimulants invariably counteracting 
any excessive sedation. Within a few years past, this me- 
dicine has been largely used in our Southern States in in- 
flammatory and febrile affections, particularly pneumonia 
and typhoid fever, with a view to its contra-stimulant or 
sedative action. It has been also used in cardiac affec- 
tions, and in gout, rheumatism, and neuralgia. Dose, of 
the powder, gr i-ij, to begin with; of the tincture (sixteen 
troyounces to alcohol Oij), 8 or 10 drops ; of the fluid ex- 
tract, 4 or 5 drops. 

VERATRUM ALBUM — WHITE HELLEBORE. 

The rhizoma of Veratrum Album (Nat. Ord. Melantha- 
ceae), a mountainous European plant, is found in the shops 
in small, rough, wrinkled, conical, cylindrical pieces, black- 
ish externally, and whitish internally; its odor, in the dried 
state, is feeble; its taste at first sweetish, afterwards bitter- 
ish, acrid, and burning. It contains veratria, and other 
principles. 

Effects and Uses. — White hellebore is a local irritant. 
In moderate doses, it stimulates the secretions, and de- 
presses the pulse. In larger doses, it is a violent emetic 
and cathartic. It is an ancient remedy, now, however, from 
its severity of action, comparatively little used. Dose, gr. 
ij, to begin with. A wine is prescribed, and an ointment, in 
itch. As an errhine, it is sometimes mixed with five or six 
parts of powdered liquorice root, or other inert powder. 

Veratria is usually obtained from Cevadilla, the seeds 
of Veratrum Sabadilla (Nat. Ord. Melanthacese), a plant of 



PREPARATIONS OF ANTIMONY. 169 

Mexico. When pure it is white, but is usually a grayish 
or brownish-white powder, without odor, and of a bitter, 
acrid taste, producing a sense of tingling or numbness in 
the tongue ; scarcely soluble in cold water, but readily so- 
luble in alcohol. It has an alkaline reaction, and strikes 
an intensely red color with sulphuric acid. Its effects are 
locally those of an irritant, and when rubbed on the skin, 
it causes a sensation of heat and tingling. Taken in- 
ternally, in small doses, it stimulates the secretions and de- 
presses the pulse, and in excessive doses, it is a violent 
poison, producing tetanic symptoms ; it is without narcotic 
action on the brain, producing death from paralysis of the 
spinal cord. Stimulants and ethereal inhalation would be 
the proper treatment in case of poisoning. Ver atria has 
been used internally, in nervous disorders, dropsies, gout, 
rheumatism, &c, in doses of gr. y 1 ^ to gr. J, repeated; but 
it is most used externally, in the form of ointment (gr. xx to 
lard a troy ounce), or dissolved in alcohol, as an application 
to rheumatic and neuralgic parts. 



GELSEMIUM — YELLOW JASMINE. 

The root of Gelsemium Sempervirens {Nat. Ord. Scro- 
phulariacese), a beautiful climbing plant of our Southern 
States, possesses valuable sedative properties, without nau- 
seating or purgative effects, and is employed in febrile and 
inflammatory diseases. The tincture (four troyounces of 
the root to diluted alcohol Oj), is the form usually employed, 
in the dose of 20 to 50 drops. 



ANTIMONII PRJPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF 

ANTIMONY. 

Antimonii et Potass,e Tartras [Tartrate of Antimony 
and Potassa). This valuable salt, familiarly known as tartar 



170 MATERIA MEDICA. 

emetic, is prepared by boiling water and cream of tartar 
with oxide of antimony. It occurs in colorless, transpa- 
rent, rhombic, octohedron crystals, which become white 
and opaque from efflorescence on exposure to the air. 
When pure, its powder is perfectly white ; but it is to be 
preferred in the crystalline state, as in this form it is less 
liable to adulteration. When dropped into a solution of 
hydrosulphuric acid, the crystals should have an orange- 
colored deposit formed on them. The powder is some- 
times adulterated with cream of tartar, which may be de- 
tected by adding a few drops of a solution of carbonate of 
soda to a boiling solution of the antimonial salt, and if the 
precipitate formed be not redissolved, no bitartrate of po- 
tash is present. 

Tartar emetic consists of 1 equiv. of tartaric acid, po- 
tash, and teroxide of antimony, each, with 3, or perhaps 2 
equiv. of water of crystallization. It is inodorous ; has a 
nauseous, metallic taste ; is very soluble in water ; insolu- 
ble in pure alcohol; and is decomposed by the pure alka- 
lies, alkaline carbonates, and the vegetable astringents. 

Physiological Effects. — Tartar emetic is a powerful local 
irritant. Applied to the skin, it occasions an eruption of 
pustules, resembling those of variola or ecthyma. When 
taken into the stomach, in full doses, it causes vomiting, 
purging, griping pains, &c. ; and, in excessive quantity, it 
acts as an irritant poison, and has even produced death : 
very large doses have, however, of late years, been given 
medicinally with entire safety. The proper antidote is tan- 
nic acid ; and opium, stimulants and demulcents should be 
also administered. The constitutional effects of tartar eme- 
tic, when taken internally, in small doses, are an increase 
in the secretions and exhalations generally, especially from 
the skin ; in somewhat larger doses, these effects are ac- 
companied with nausea and vomiting, relaxation of the tis- 
sues (particularly the muscular fibres), a feeling of great 
feebleness and exhaustion, and a powerful sedative action 
on the circulation and respiration. 



PREPARATIONS OF ANTIMONY. 171 

Medicinal Uses. — Tartar emetic is employed therapeuti- 
cally as an emetic, nauseant, sedative, sudorific, and ex- 
pectorant, and locally as a counter-irritant. As an emetic, 
it creates more nausea and depression than any other 
substance; and hence, while other emetics are to be pre- 
ferred to it, when our object is merely to evacuate the 
contents of the stomach with as little constitutional dis- 
turbance as possible, it is of the greatest value, when 
vomiting is resorted to as a means of making an impres- 
sion on the system, and thereby checking the progress of 
disease. As a nauseant, tartar emetic is employed to relax 
the muscular system in the reduction of dislocations, 
strangulated hernise, &c. As a sedative antiphlogistic, in 
large doses, it is a most powerful and valuable remedy 
in the treatment of acute inflammation, with fever, from 
its combined action in reducing the force of the circula- 
tion, moderating the heat of skin, and promoting diapho- 
resis. "When given in this way, at intervals, tartar emetic 
ceases to produce emesis, and a tolerance of the medicine 
by the system is established. In the treatment of pneu- 
monia, it has long been extensively resorted to, — by some 
practitioners even to the exclusion of bloodletting. From 
gr. J to gr. J may be given every two hours, in gradually 
increasing doses, until some amelioration of the symp- 
toms takes place, when the doses are to be again decreased. 
As a diaphoretic, it is very useful, in small doses (as from 
gr. y 1 ^ to gr. J, repeated), in continued fevers, inflammation 
from wounds, injuries, &c. ; and as an expectorant, in the 
same doses, it is employed in various pulmonary affections 
with advantage. As a local irritant, it is applied to the skin 
in the form of aqueous solution, ointment, or plaster, in 
chronic diseases of the chest, affections of joints, &c. 

Administration. — The dose of tartar emetic, as an emetic, 
is gr. j or ij, and it is frequently combined with ipecacuanha. 
As a sedative antiphlogistic, gr. \ or J, to gr. j or ij ; as a nau- 
seant, gr. \ to J ; and as a diaphoretic and expectorant, gr. Jg to 
\, may be given in solution, and in each case repeated 



172 MATERIA MEDICA. 

every two or three hours. For external use, the ointment 
(unguentum antimonii — 5ij, to lard, a troyounce) may be 
employed; or the piaster, made by mixing one part of 
tartar emetic with four parts of Burgundy pitch. 

Vinum Antimonii (Antimonial Wine), is a solution of 
tartar emetic (gr. xxxij), in boiling distilled water (fSj), 
and sherry wine (f§xv). It is employed as an expectorant 
and sudorific, in the dose of from 10 to 30 drops, fre- 
quently repeated ; and as an emetic for children, in the 
dose of 30 drops to f3j, repeated every quarter of an hour. 

Antimonium Sulphuratum (Sulphurated Antimony), is 
prepared by boiling the native tersulphuret of antimony 
with a solution of potassa, and adding diluted sulphuric 
acid to the strained solution ; the sulphate of potassa which 
is formed, being afterwards washed away with hot water. 
It is a reddish-brown, odorless, almost tasteless, insoluble 
powder, and is chemically a mixture of teroxide and ter- 
sulphuret of antimony. Its effects are analogous to those 
of tartar emetic ; but it is chiefly employed as an alterative 
in cutaneous affections, secondary syphilis, &c, usually in 
conjunction with mercurials. Dose, as an alterative, gr. j to 
iij ; as an emetic, gr. v to xx. 

Antimonii Oxysulphuretum (Oxy sulphur et of Antimony, 
or Kermes Mineral), is another mixture of tersulphuret and 
teroxide of antimony, prepared by boiling tersulphuret 
with an alkaline carbonate or caustic solution. It is an 
odorless, tasteless, brownish-red, insoluble powder, some- 
times employed as an antiphlogistic in pneumonia; but 
it is uncertain in its operation, and probably possesses no 
advantage over tartar emetic. Dose, gr. J to gr. ij, or iij. 

By the addition of an acid to the liquor which remains 
after the precipitation of kermes, an orange-red, odorless, 
tasteless powder, called golden sulphur of antimony, is ob- 
tained. It is a mixture of tersulphuret and teroxide with 
some free sulphur, and acts like kermes, but is weaker. 
Dose, gr. j to gr. ij, or iij. 

Pilulce Antimonii Compositor (Compound Pills of Anti- 



NITRATE OF POTASSA. 173 

mony), sometimes called Plummer's pills, contain equal 
parts of sulphurated antimony and of calomel, mixed with 
gnaiac and molasses. They are used as an alterative in 
syphilitic, rheumatic, and cutaneous affections. Six grains 
of the mass contain a grain of calomel and antimony each. 

Pulvis Antimonialis. An antimonial powder is prepared 
in imitation of the celebrated James's powder, by burn- 
ing sulphuret of antimony with hartshorn shavings or 
bone shavings. It is a white, gritty, tasteless, odorless 
powder, consisting of a mixture of antimonious acid and 
phosphate of lime, with some teroxide of antimony and a 
little antimonite of lime. It was formerly much employed 
in fevers; but it is unequal in its operation, owing its 
activity to the teroxide of antimony present. Hence, it 
has been dismissed from the U. S. Pharmacopoeia. Dose, 
gr. iij to viij. 

Antimonii Oxidum [Oxide of Antimony), is prepared from 
the sulphuret, and is a heavy, grayish-white, insoluble 
powder. It has the general therapeutic properties of the 
antimonials, and, though not quite certain in its effects, is 
believed to produce the sedative operation of tartar emetic, 
with less nausea and derangement of the stomach. Dose, 
2 or 3 grains, repeated. 



REFRIGERANTS. 
POTASSiE NITRAS — NITRATE OF POTASSA. 

This salt, commonly called nitre and saltpetre, occurs in 
both the inorganized and organized kingdoms of nature. 
It is obtained, for medicinal use, principally by the purifi- 
cation of the native nitre of India ; and it is also found in 
saltpetre caves in various parts of the United States, asso- 
ciated with nitrate of lime, from which it is separated by 
lixiviation. It is also artificially produced in several parts 
of Europe, in nitre beds or saltpetre plantations, by bring- 



174 MATERIA MEDICA. 

ing together decayed organic nitrogenized matters and 
marl, chalk, mortar, &c. It is purified for medicinal use, 
and is found in the shops in large, transparent, colorless 
crystals, of the form of six-sided prisms with dihedral 
summits. They have no odor, a sharp, cooling taste, are 
soluble in water, and insoluble in pure alcohol. They 
have no water of crystallization, but frequently have a 
portion of the mother liquid mechanically lodged in the 
spaces of the crystals, which may be driven off by heat, 
and the salt fused and cast into moulds. 

Physiological Effects. — In excessive doses, nitre may act as 
a fatal poison, producing irritation of the alimentary canal 
and derangement of the nervous system. There is no 
antidote for it; and cases of poisoning are to be treated by 
demulcents, opiates, &c, after evacuation of the contents 
of the stomach. In moderate doses, it is a refrigerant, seda- 
tive, diuretic, and diaphoretic, and, in large or continued 
doses, laxative. Its refrigerant properties are best seen 
when the body is morbidly hot, as in fevers. When mixed 
with the blood, after absorption, it produces several chemi- 
cal changes, the most important of which is an antiplastic 
effect, by impeding coagulation. 

Medicinal Uses. — Mtre is a very valuable refrigerant and 
sedative remedy in fevers, inflammations, hemorrhages, 
&c. In fevers, it is often prescribed with calomel and tar- 
tar emetic, under the name of nitrous powders. In large 
doses, it was given formerly in acute rheumatism, and this 
practice has been lately revived with success in France. 
Dose, gr. x to 5ss. From 5iv to 5yj, are given in 24 hours, 
in acute rheumatism, and the quantity is increased to Sviij, 
x, or xij. The fumes of paper, impregnated with nitre, 
are used with advantage in spasmodic asthma. 

SOD^E BORAS — BORATE OF SODA. 

Borax occurs as a native product in several localities in 
Europe and South America, and is made artificially by the 



CITRATE OF POTASSA. 175 

direct combination of native boracic acid with soda. It 
occurs in the form of hexahedral prismatic crystals, termi- 
nated by triangular pyramids, of a sweetish alkaline taste, 
and an alkaline reaction. It is soluble in water, and slowly 
effloresces, and has the property of rendering cream of 
tartar very soluble in water. 

Effects and Uses. — Borax is a mild refrigerant and diu- 
retic, and has had emmenagogue virtues attributed to it. 
Dose, gr. xxx. It has been given in infantile diarrhoea as 
an enema, and is used externally in cutaneous affections, 
especially as a detergent in aphthous affections of the 
mouth in children, mixed with equal parts of sugar. 



POTASSA CITRAS — CITRATE OF POTASSA. 

This salt is made by saturating a solution of citric acid 
with bicarbonate of potassa, and evaporating to dryness. 
It is white, granular, deliquescent, and very soluble in 
water. It is an excellent refrigerant diaphoretic, much 
employed in febrile affections. Dose, gr. xx-xxv; S^j are 
usually dissolved in water Oss, and f§ss of the solution is 
administered every hour or two. 

• Mistura Potassce Citratis [Mixture of Citrate of Potassa, or 
Neutral Mixture), is made by saturating fresh lemon-juice 
with bicarbonate of potassa; or, when the lemon-juice 
cannot be had, a solution of citric acid, flavored with oil 
of lemons, may be used as a substitute. This preparation 
contains some free carbonic acid, which renders it more 
grateful to an irritable stomach than the ordinary solutions 
of the citrate. Under the name of effervescing draught, the 
citrate of potassa is often prepared extemporaneously and 
given in the state of effervescence. 



176 MATERIA MEDICA. 



LIQUOR AMMONIJE ACETATIS — SOLUTION OF 
ACETATE OF AMMONIA. 

This solution, termed also Spiritus Minder eri, or Spirit of 
Mindererus, is made by saturating diluted acetic acid with 
carbonate of ammonia. When pure, it is a colorless liquid, 
with a saline taste. In small doses, it is refrigerant ; in 
larger doses, diaphoretic, diuretic, and perhaps resolvent. 
It is employed in febrile and inflammatory affections, some- 
times in conjunction with nitre or tartar emetic, sometimes 
with camphor and opium. Dose, fgss to fgj, every two, 
three, or four hours, in sweetened water. 



SPIRITUS JETHERIS NITROSI — SPIRIT OF NITROUS 

ETHER. 

This preparation, commonly known as Sweet Spirit of 
Nitre, is a mixture of hyponitrous ether and alcohol. It is 
obtained by distilling nitric acid with a mixture of stronger 
alcohol and carbonate of potassa, and is a mixture, in vari- 
able proportions, of nitrous ether and alcohol. It is a color- 
less, volatile, inflammable liquid, soluble in water and aj- 
cohol, of a fragrant, ethereal odor, and a pungent, aro- 
matic, sweetish, acidulous taste. 

Effects and Uses. — Sweet Spirit of Mtre is antispas- 
modic, refrigerant, diaphoretic, and diuretic. It is much 
used in febrile affections, and, from its diuretic properties, 
is often combined with other diuretics in the treatment of 
dropsies. Dose, f5ss to f§j, frequently repeated. 



ACIDA VEGETABILIA — VEGETABLE ACIDS. 

The vegetable acids are refrigerant, and when properly 
diluted, form useful drinks in fevers, &c. Those chiefly 



VEGETABLE ACIDS. 177 

employed are acidum aceticum (acetic acid), acidum citricum 
(citric acid), and acidum tartaricum (tartaric acid). Acetic Acid 
is employed only in the form of dilute acetic acid (one part 
of strong acid to seven parts of distilled water), or vinegar 
(acetum). It is less used internally as a refrigerant than 
citric acid, from its liability to produce colic and diarrhoea, 
except in typhus, scarlet, and other malignant fevers, owing 
to its supposed possession of antiseptic virtues. Spongings 
with vinegar and water are useful to relieve the heat of skin 
in fevers, and the vapor is grateful to the sick. The dose 
of vinegar is f5j-iv. Citric Acid may be agreeably admin- 
istered in the juice of lemons, limes, sour oranges, and 
tamarinds. "When these cannot be obtained, a solution of 
citric acid (3j to water Oj) may be substituted. Citric 
acid is manufactured from lemon or lime juice, by saturat- 
ing it with carbonate of lime, and afterwards decomposing 
the citrate of lime, which is formed by the addition of sul- 
phuric acid. It occurs in colorless crystals, having the 
form of rhomboidal prisms, with dihedral summits, freely 
soluble in water, and soluble in alcohol ; Sixss, added to 
distilled water Oj, form a solution of the average strength 
of lemon-juice. In the dose of f§j every hour or two, 
lemon-juice, limonis suceus (the juice of the fruit of Citrus 
Limonum), has been employed with much success in acute 
rheumatism and gout, and, though an uncertain remedy, 
is occasionally of undoubted efficacy. Properly diluted 
and mixed with sugar, it forms the delightful refrigerant 
known as lemonade. Lemon-juice is the best known re- 
medy for scurvy. Tartaric Acid is the acid of grapes, and 
is extracted from tartar, or crude cream of tartar. It is a 
white crystallized solid, in the form of irregular six-sided 
prisms, and is found in the shops as a fine, white powder. 
It is soluble in water and alcohol. Being cheaper than 
citric acid, it may be used as a substitute for that acicL It 
is employed in making soda and Seidlitz poivders. 



12 



178 MATERIA MEDICA. 



ORDER VIII. — SPASTICS. 

Under the term Spastics (from ariaatq, spasm), are com- 
prised medicines which excite muscular contraction or 
spasm. To this class belong vegetable substances contain- 
ing the alkaloids strychnia and brucia, which are employed 
therapeutically in torpid or paralytic conditions of the mus- 
cular system — and ergot, which is used to excite muscular 
contractions of the uterus. 



NUX VOMICA. 

Strychnos Nux vomica, or Poison-Nut (Nat. Ord. Apo- 
cynacese), is a middling-sized tree of the coast of Coro- 
mandel and other parts of India, which bears a round, 
smooth berry, the size of a pretty large apple, of a rich 
orange color, and containing numerous seeds embedded in 
a juicy pulp. The seeds are the officinal portion; but the 
bark also is poisonous, and is known as false angustura 
bark, from its having been confounded with angustura bark. 
The seeds are round, peltate, less than an inch in diameter, 
nearly flat, or convex on one side and concave on the other, 
and surrounded by a narrow annular stria. They have two 
coats : a simple, fibrous, outer coat, covered with short, 
silky hairs, of a gray or yellowish color, and a very thin 
inner coat, which envelopes the nucleus or kernel. This 
is hard, horny, of a whitish or yellowish color, and of very 
difficult pulverization. The seeds have no odor, but an in- 
tensely bitter taste, which is stronger in the kernel than in 
the investing membrane. They impart their virtues to 
water, but more readily to diluted alcohol, and contain two 
active alkaloid principles, strychnia (which is officinal), and 
brucia, both of which exist in combination with an acid 
called strychnic, or igasuric; another alkaloid, termed iga- 



NUX VOMICA. 179 

suria, much more soluble in water than the two first named, 
has been lately extracted from mix vomica. 

Physiological Effects, — In very small and repeated doses, 
mix vomica has a tonic and diuretic effect, and sometimes 
operates slightly on the bowels and skin. In somewhat 
larger doses, the stomach is often disturbed; and in still 
larger doses, the muscular system becomes disordered. A 
sense of weight and weakness in the limbs, and increased 
sensibility to external impressions of all kinds, manifest 
themselves, with depression of spirits and anxiety; the 
limbs tremble, and slight convulsive movements of the 
muscles appear. If the medicine be continued, convulsive 
paroxysms of the whole muscular system ensue, with erotic 
desires, painful sensations in the skin, and occasionally 
eruptions : the pulse is not much affected. In paralytic 
patients, the effects of the medicine are principally observed 
in the paralyzed parts. "When taken in excessive doses it 
produces tetanus, asphyxia, and death. There is no anti- 
dote, unless, perhaps, tannic acid; after evacuating the 
stomach, antispasmodic narcotics, as opium, conium, ether, 
chloroform, &c, may be exhibited. 

Medicinal Uses. — This medicine is our chief resource in 
torpid or paralytic conditions of the motor or sensitive 
nerves, or of the muscular fibre. When, however, para- 
lysis is the result of inflammation of the nervous centres, 
it is injurious, and accelerates organic changes. It is most 
beneficial in those forms of paralysis which are independent 
of structural lesion, as lead palsy or paralysis from drunk- 
enness. In paralysis, arising from cerebral hemorrhage, — 
after the absorption of the effused blood, and the paralysis 
remains, as it were, from habit, — the cautious employment 
of nux vomica is often attended with advantage. In amau- 
rosis, free from cerebral complication, it is sometimes 
useful ; and it is occasionally serviceable in other nervous 
affections. It has also been found beneficial in chorea, con- 
stipation, dysentery, impotence, incontinence of urine, and 



180 MATERIA MEDICA. 

spermatorrhoea; and, in small doses, it has been used as a 
tonic in dyspepsia. 

Administration. — Dose of the powder , gr. ij or iij, in pill, 
several times a day, and increased till an effect is produced; 
of the extract (alcoholic), gr. J to gr. j, to be repeated and 
increased; of the tincture (eight troyounces to alcohol Oij), 
gtt. v to xx, and this is sometimes used as an embrocation 
to paralyzed parts. 

Strychnia is obtained by the following process : ]S*ux 
vomica is digested and boiled in water acidulated with 
muriatic acid, and the resulting muriate of strychnia and 
brucia is decomposed by lime. The strychnia is separated 
from brucia and impurities, by boiling alcohol, from which 
it is deposited when cool, the brucia being left in solution. 
It is then converted into a sulphate by the addition of 
diluted sulphuric acid, next decolorized by animal charcoal, 
and again precipitated by solution of ammonia. Thus ob- 
tained, it is in the form of a white powder, of an intensely 
bitter taste, almost insoluble in water, slightly soluble in 
cold alcohol, but readily soluble in boiling alcohol. It may 
be slowly crystallized in the form of octohedra or quadri- 
lateral prisms. The best test for strychnia is the bichro- 
mate of potassa, which, added to a solution of strychnia in 
concentrated sulphuric acid, produces a violet color. The 
effects of strychnia are similar to those of mix vomica, but 
more violent ; its local action is that of an irritant. It is 
employed for the same purposes as nux vomica, and should 
be given in very minute doses, as gr. Jg to begin with, to 
be gradually increased and repeated. The salts of strychnia 
may be also employed in the same doses, but they are more 
soluble, and therefore more active; the sulphate is officinal. 
For endermic use, gr. J of strychnia may be used. 

IGNATIA. 

The seed of Strychnos Ignatia, or St. Ignatius' Bean, a 
tree of the Philippine Islands, contains a large proportion 



ERGOT. 181 

of strychnia, and possesses medicinal properties analogous 
to those of mix vomica. It is used in this country in the 
form of alcoholic extract, which may be given to fulfil the 
same remedial indications as extract of nux vomica, in the 
dose of half a grain to a grain, three times a day. 

Toxicodendron [Poison-Oak). The leaves of Rhus Toxi- 
codendron, or Poison-Oak [Nat Ord. Anacardiacese), an 
indigenous shrub from one to three feet high, and other 
species of Rhus, possess properties somewhat analogous 
to those of Nux vomica, and have been employed with 
success in paralysis. Dose, gr. j to gr. iij, or more, to be 
repeated and increased. 

ERG0TA — ERGOT. 

The term ergot is applied to the diseased seed of Se- 
cale cereale, or Rye [Nat Ord. Graminacese). The disease 
is the result of the presence of a parasitical fungus — the 
first appearance of which is observed, by the young grain 
and its appendages becoming covered with a white coat- 
ing composed of multitudes of sporidia, mixed with cob- 
web-like filaments. Its predisposing cause is unknown, 
and it is not peculiar to rye, many other grasses being 
subject to it. When mature, the ergot projects beyond 
the envelopes of the grain, has a violet-black color, and 
presents scarcely any filaments and sporidia. As found in 
the shops, it consists of cylindrical, or somewhat prismati- 
cal tapering grains, curved like the spur of a cock, of a 
purplish color externally, and of a yellowish or grayish- 
white color within. Its smell is peculiar and nauseous ; 
its taste is at first faint, but becomes bitterish, acrid, and 
disagreeable. It yields its virtues to water and alcohol, 
and does not keep well, being liable to the attacks of a mi- 
nute worm. 

Numerous analyses have been made of ergot, but there 
is still uncertainty as regards its active principles. The 



182 MATERIA MEDICA. 

oil of ergot is not now believed to be, when pure, the medi- 
cinal constituent, which, according to the latest view, is 
thought to be a volatile alkaloid, termed secalia (identical 
w r ith prophylamia, the odorous principle of pickled her- 
ring), which exists as an ergotate, combined with a peculiar 
acid, termed ergotic acid (formerly ergotin). 

Physiological Effects. — The effects of ergot, in medicinal 
doses, are unimportant on the male system. On the fe- 
male, it excites powerful contraction of the uterus. After 
labor has commenced, in ten or twenty minutes from its ad- 
ministration, it increases the violence, frequency, and con- 
tinuance of labor pains, which usually never cease until 
the child is born. Administered before labor, it frequently 
originates the process, though its effects in this respect are 
less constant. And even on the unimpregnated uterus, it 
produces painful contractions, and evinces an influence 
over morbid conditions of the organ, by checking uterine 
hemorrhage, and expelling polypi. In large doses, it pro- 
duces vomiting, purging, and a marked sedative effect on 
the circulation, and in excessive quantity it acts as an acro- 
narcotic poison on both sexes. When it is used for a 
length of time as an article of food, it produces a peculiar 
morbid condition, termed ergotism, which assumes two 
forms, — one attended with convulsions, the other with dry 
gangrene of the limbs. 

Medicinal Uses. — The chief employment of ergot is to 
promote the action of the uterus in parturition, when its 
expulsatory efforts are feeble and inefficient. It is, how- 
ever, admissible only when there is a proper conformation 
of the pelvis and soft parts, when the os uteri, vagina, and 
os externum are dilated, or readily dilatable, and when the 
presentation of the child is such as to offer no great me- 
chanical impediment to delivery. It is also useful — when 
from any cause it is important to accelerate delivery; in 
women subject to flooding, given just before delivery; to 
promote the expulsion of the placenta, when it is re- 
tained from a want of contraction of the uterus; to expel 



EMETICS. 183 

clots, hydatids, polypi, &c. ; to restrain uterine hemor- 
rhage, whether puerperal or non-puerperal; to excite and 
promote abortion, &c. ; and sometimes as a styptic. By 
many, ergot is believed to exercise a dangerous sedative 
influence on the child during labor, and its use may occa- 
sionally produce foetal death, which a timely resort to the 
forceps would have prevented. 

Administration. — Dose, of the poioder, 3j, every twenty 
minutes, till its effects are produced, or three doses are 
taken ; of the wine, vinum ergotce (two troyounces to sherry 
wine Oj), f3j to f5\j, repeated as above. The fluid extract 
(made with diluted alcohol and acetic acid), is the best pre- 
paration — dose, 20 to 30 drops. 

Gossypii Radix (Cotton Boot). The root of Gossypium 
herbaceum, the well-known cotton plant, is said by South- 
ern physicians to possess 'decided influence in exciting ute- 
rine contractions. A decoction (made by boiling four troy- 
ounces of the inner bark of the root in a quart of water to 
a pint), has been used in doses of a wineglassful repeated. 
Cotton is a useful application to burns, and parts affected 
with erysipelas and rheumatism. 



CLASS II.— ECCKITICS. 
ORDER I. — EMETICS. 

Emetics (from e^ew, I vomit), are medicines which are 
employed to promote vomiting ; when they are used merely 
to excite nausea, they are termed nauseants. When an 
emetic is administered, usually within fifteen or twenty 
minutes afterwards, a feeling of nausea, relaxation, and 
faintness is experienced, with coolness and moisture of the 
skin, and a small, feeble, irregular pulse. These symp- 
toms increase, till the contents of the stomach are ejected. 
During the act of vomiting, the face becomes flushed, the 



184 MATERIA MEDICA. 

pulse is full and frequent, and the temperature of the 
body is increased. After vomiting is over, the skin is 
moist, the pulse soft and feeble, the patient becomes languid 
and drowsy, and, under peculiar circumstances, alarming 
and even fatal syncope has been induced. Vomiting is a 
reflex spinal act. Dr. Marshall Hall gives the following 
summary of its mechanism : " During the act of vomiting, 
1, the larynx is closed; 2, the cardia is opened; and 3, all 
the muscles of expiration are called into action ; but 4, ac- 
tual expiration being prevented by the closure of the la- 
rynx, the force of the effort is expended upon the stomach, 
the cardia being open, and vomiting is effected." 

Susceptibility to the action of emetics differs in different 
individuals and in different diseases. In fevers, and where 
gastric irritation is present, their influence is increased ; 
and, on the other hand, when the brain is oppressed by 
disease or by narcotic medicines, the stomach is exceed- 
ingly insensible to their action. * 

Emetics are employed therapeutically : 1, to evacuate 
the stomach, for the purpose of removing poisons, undi- 
gested food, &c. ; and with this view, the emetics should 
be selected which occasion least nausea and distress ; 2, to 
expel foreign bodies lodged in the throat or oesophagus ; 
3, to excite nausea, and thereby depress the vascular and 
muscular systems; 4, to relieve spasm, as in spasmodic 
croup ; 5, to promote secretion and excretion, &c. ; and 6, 
sometimes to break up a train of morbid association, by 
giving a shock to the system, as in the forming stage of 
certain fevers, as typhus and scarlatina, and of delirium 
tremens. They are improper in congestion of the brain, 
pregnancy, hernia, &c. The act of emesis is promoted by 
the free use of tepid drinks ; excessive vomiting may be 
checked by demulcents, opiates, counter-irritation to the 
stomach, &c. 



IPECACUANHA. 185 

VEGETABLE EMETICS. 
IPECACUANHA. 

Ipecacuanha is the root of Cephaelis Ipecacuanha (Nat 
Ord. Cinchonacese), a small shrubby perennial plant of 
Brazil, where it grows to the height of about five or six 
inches. The roots, as met with in the shops, are in pieces 
about the size of a quill, several inches long, of an irregu- 
lar, twisted, contorted shape, with numerous circular rings 
or rugse, from which they, have been termed annulated. 
When broken, they are seen to consist of two distinct 
parts, — a thin ligneous axis or centre, which is nearly 
inert, and a thick cortical layer, which has an herbaceous, 
acrid, rather bitter taste, and a slightly nauseous odor. 
A distinction is made of brown, red, and gray ipecacuanha, 
from differences in the color of the epidermis, but they are 
all derived from the same plant, and are the same in pro- 
perties and composition ; the brown is the most common 
variety in our market. The powder is of a light grayish- 
fawn color, and has a peculiar nauseous odor, which in 
some persons excites violent sneezing, in others dyspnoea. 
Ipecacuanha imparts its virtues to both water and alcohol, 
but they are injured by decoction. Its emetic property 
depends on the presence of a peculiar alkaline principle, 
termed emetia, a whitish, inodorous, slightly bitter sub- 
stance, sparingly soluble in water, and very soluble in al- 
cohol. It produces vomiting in the dose of gr. J, and in 
overdoses may occasion dangerous and even fatal symp- 
toms. 

Effects and Uses. — In full doses, ipecacuanha is a mild 
and certain emetic, well adapted to the treatment of spas- 
modic croup in children, and to all cases where a simple 
evacuation of the stomach is desired. In smaller doses, it 
produces nausea, depression of the pulse, expectoration, 
and diaphoresis, and with these views it is employed in the 



186 MATERIA MEDICA. 

treatment of pulmonary affections, dysentery, and inflam- 
matory disorders generally. In still smaller doses, it is use- 
ful as a tonic and alterative. 

Administration. — Dose, as an emetic, gr. xv to gr. xx, of- 
ten combined with a grain of tartar emetic ; as a nauseant, 
gr. ss to gr. ij, three or four times a day; as an expectorant 
or diaphoretic, gr. \ to gr. J, repeated ; as a tonic, gr. y^, re- 
peated. Vinum Ipecacuanhas (a troyounce to sherry wine 
Oj) — dose, as an emetic, fgj ; as an expectorant and diapho- 
retic, n#x to xxx ; the fluid extract (made with acetic acid, 
alcohol, and water), is used as an addendum to expectorant 
and diaphoretic mixtures, a . fluidounce representing an 
ounce of the root ; one part of fluid extract, mixed with 
fifteen parts of simple syrup, makes Syrupus Ipecacuanhas, an 
excellent preparation for children — f gj containing gr. xxx 
of ipecacuanha; for a child a year or two old, f5ss-j, may 
be given as an emetic, and v-xx drops, as an expectorant. 
Pulvis Ipecacuanhas Compositus, Compound Powder of Ipe- 
cacuanha, or Dover's Powder (see Opium, p. 40). Troches of 
Ipecacuanha contain also arrow-root, sugar, and mucilage 
of tragacanth. 



S AN GUI N ARIA — BLOOD ROOT. 

The rhizoma of Sanguinaria Canadensis, or Bloodroot 
[Nat. Ord. Papaveraceee), a small indigenous plant, with 
radical, cordate, lobate leaves, and a handsome, white, 
eight-petalled flower, which appears in early spring — is 
usually classed with emetics. When dried, it is in flat- 
tened pieces, much wrinkled and contorted, of a reddish- 
brown color, with a faint narcotic odor, and a bitterish, 
very acrid taste. It yields its virtues to water and alco- 
hol, and loses them rapidly by keeping. An active alka- 
line principle, sanguinarina, has been obtained from it, 
which possesses the properties of the root, and two other 
alkaloids have been discovered in it. 



BLOODROOT. 



187 



Effects and Uses. — Bloodroot is an acrid emetic , and in 
large doses, an aero-narcotic poison. Locally, it acts as an 

Fig. 15. 




irritant, and upon fungous surfaces as an escharotic. It is 
not much used as an emetic ; but is occasionally employed 
with this view, or as a nauseant, in pulmonary affections. 
Dose, as an emetic, gr. x to xx, in pill ; or in infusion (half 
a troyounce to boiling water Oj), of which fSss is the dose. 
Tincture (four troy ounces to diluted alcohol Oij) — dose, as 



188 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



an emetic, f 5iij or iv ; as an expectorant, 30 to 60 drops. It 
is also employed externally, dissolved in vinegar. 



EUPHORBIA COROLLATA — LARGE FLOWERING 

SPURGE. 

Fig. 16. 




Euphorbia Ipecacuanha (Ipecacuanha Spurge). The roots 
of these indigenous plants (Nat. Ord. Euphorbiacese), pos- 
sess emetic properties ; but they are apt to operate on the 
bowels, and, in overdoses, prove extremely violent. Dose, 
gr. x to xv. 



GILLENIA. 189 



GILLENIA. 

Gillenia trifoliata, Indian Physic, or American Ipecacu- 
anha (Nat. Ord. Rosacea), is an indigenous herbaceous 
plant, with a perennial root, consisting of a number of 
fibres, arising from a tuber; one or more stems, two or 
three feet high, of a reddish-brown color; trifoliate leaves; 
and white flowers, with a tinge of red. West of the Al- 
leghany Mountains, another species, G-. stipulacea, is found, 
which is identical with the trifoliata in its properties, and is 
distinguished from it by having its lower leaves pinnatifid. 
The officinal portion of both is the root. As found in 
the shops, it consists of pieces not thicker than a quill, 
wrinkled, of a reddish-brown color, and composed of an 
easily separable and pulverizable cortical portion, and a 
comparatively inert internal ligneous cord, which should 
be rejected. The bark has a feeble odor, and a nauseous, 
bitter taste, and makes a light-brownish powder. 

Effects and Uses. — Gillenia is a safe and efficacious eme- 
tic, resembling ipecacuanha in its action, and, like it, in 
small doses proves a useful diaphoretic, expectorant, tonic, 
&c. Dose, as an emetic, gr. xxx ; as an expectorant or dia- 
phoretic, gr. ij to iv ; and as a tonic, gr. J. 

Sinapis (Mustard). The seeds of Sinapis nigra and Si- 
napis alba [Nat Ord. Brassicaceae), in doses of from a tea- 
spoonful to a tablespoonful, are very useful emetics, par- 
ticularly in atonic conditions of the stomach. 

Tobacco and Lobelia act as emetics in large doses, but 
their employment is attended with danger, owing to the 
great prostration which they produce (see pp. 55, 57). 
Squill also possesses emetic powers, but it is too irritating 
for use in this respect. 



190 MATERIA MEDICA. 



MINERAL EMETICS. 



Tartar Emetic. Dose, gr. j or gr. ij (see p. 170). 
Sulphate of Zinc. Dose, gr. x to gr. xx (see p. 119). 
Sulphate of Copper. Dose, gr. iij to gr. v (see p. 118). 
Alum. Dose, a teaspoonful (see p. 145). 



ORDER II. — CATHARTICS. 

Cathartics (from xaOatpio, I purge), termed also purgatives, 
are medicines which produce evacuations from the bowels. 
Some operate by increasing the peristaltic motion of the 
intestines ; others stimulate the mucous follicles and exha- 
lants, and occasion watery evacuations, whence they are 
termed hydragogues. The more violent of the hydragogues, 
if given in overdoses, produce inflammation of the alimen- 
tary canal, characterized by violent vomiting and purging, 
abdominal pain and tenderness, cold extremities, and sink- 
ing pulse. From their activity, they are denominated 
drastics. Different cathartics affect different parts of the ali- 
mentary canal unequally, some acting more particularly on 
the upper portion, some on the lower, and others affecting 
all parts equally. Mercurial preparations purge chiefly 
by inducing a flow of bile from the liver. 

Cathartics may be arranged into five groups : 1. Laxa- 
tives, which gently evacuate the contents of the bowels, 
without causing any obvious irritation, or affecting the 
general system. 2. Saline cathartics, which increase both 
the peristaltic action of the bowels and the effusion of 
fluids from the mucous surface, but are devoid of any 
stimulant action on the general system, and are therefore 
adapted to the treatment of febrile and inflammatory 
cases. 3. Mild acrid cathartics, which are acrid and stimu- 
lant, but not sufficiently violent in their local action to 
cause inflammation. 4. Drastics, comprising the more 



CATHARTICS. 191 

powerful and irritating cathartics, which, in large doses, 
act as acrid poisons. 5. Mercurial cathartics. 

Cathartics are employed therapeutically, — 1. To evacuate 
the bowels in constipation, and remove noxious matters, 
as retained feces, undigested food, morbid secretions, 
worms, poisons, &c. 2. To relieve inflammation, conges- 
tion, and plethora, by the depletion of the bloodvessels, 
which results from increased secretion and exhalation 
from the gastro-intestinal canal. 3. To promote absorp- 
tion. 4. To affect remote organs, particularly the brain, 
through the agency of revulsion and counter-irritation. 
5. To stimulate the secretion of the liver and pancreas, 
by irritating the orifice of the ductus communis choledo- 
chus. 6. To restore the catamenia, by the irritating or 
stimulating influence which they exert on the pelvic ves- 
sels. The more active cathartics are contra-indicated in 
cases of inflammation or ulceration of the gastro-intestinal 
mucous membrane, peritonitis, the advanced stages of 
typhoid fever, pregnancy, &c. 

The operation of cathartics is promoted by the addition 
of small doses of emetics, and of the bitters. By com- 
bining those which act upon different portions of the ali- 
mentary canal, their operation is rendered less irritant, 
without any diminution of purgative efficiency. The grip- 
ing and nauseating tendency of the drastic cathartics may 
be corrected by the addition of aromatics ; carbonic acid 
water is a grateful vehicle for administering the saline 
preparations. Cathartics operate most speedily and favor- 
ably when given on an empty stomach, and susceptibility 
to their action is diminished during sleep, and increased 
by exercise. Mild diluent beverages promote their opera- 
tion. In the event of hyper catharsis, opium should be 
administered by the mouth or rectum. 



192 MATERIA MEDICA. 



LAXATIVES. 

Several articles of diet have a laxative operation on the 
bowels, and are useful in cases of habitual costiveness, as 
most of the ripe and dried fruits, — particularly tamarinds, 
peaches, apples, raisins, figs, and prunes, — West India mo- 
lasses, honey, oatmeal, bran, &c. 

The following medicinal substances are usually arranged 
under the head of laxatives, and are employed in cases 
where we wish to open the bowels with the least possible 
irritation, — as in children and pregnant women, in inflam- 
mations or surgical operations about the abdomen and pel- 
vis, in hernia, piles, affections of the rectum or womb, &c. 



MANNA. 

Manna is the concrete juice, in flakes, of Fraxinus ornus, 
and of Fraxinus rotundifolia (Nat. Ord. Oleacese), small 
trees of Sicily, and Southern Italy. It is obtained from 
incisions into the stems of the trees. The best kind is 
produced during the height of the season, when the juice 
flows vigorously, and from the upper stems, where it is less 
fatty. It is called flake manna, or manna cannulata, and 
consists of pieces from one to six inches long, one to two 
inches wide, and from half an inch to an inch thick, of 
irregular form, but more or less stalactitic, hollowed out 
on one side (from the shape of the tree or substance on 
which they are concreted), of a white or yellowish-white 
color, an odor like that of honey, and a sweet, afterwards 
rather acrid taste. A commoner manna, called common 
manna, or manna in sorts, is obtained from incisions later in 
the season, and from the lower stems. It occurs in small 
pieces, which seldom exceed an inch in length, and are 
softer, more viscid, and darker than the flake manna. A 
still inferior variety is termed fat manna, and consists of 



PURGING CASSIA. 193 

small, soft, viscid fragments, of a dirty yellowish-brown 
color, mixed with a few pieces of the flake manna. Manna 
is soluble in both water and alcohol, and contains a white, 
crystalline, saccharine principle, termed mannite, some su- 
gar, and a resin, to which it probably owes most of its 
purgative effect. 

Effects and Uses. — In moderate doses, manna is nutri- 
tive ; in larger, mildly laxative. It is principally given to 
children, to whom its sweet taste renders it acceptable ; 
and it is sometimes combined with the more active cathar- 
tics. It may be taken in substance, or dissolved in warm 
milk or water. Dose for an adult, gj to f>ij ; for children, 
5j to 5iij. 



CASSIA FISTULA — PURGING CASSIA. 

This is the fruit of Cassia Fistula (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), 
a large tree of Egypt and the East Indies, now natura- 
lized in the West Indies and South America. It consists 
of long, woody, dark-brown pods, about an inch in diame- 
ter, and nearly two feet in length, which contain nume- 
rous seeds imbedded in a soft black pulp. The pulp is the 
part used, and has a faint, nauseous oddr, and a sweet, ra- 
ther pleasant, mucilaginous taste. It is, in small doses, a 
mild, agreeable laxative, but its chief use is as an ingre- 
dient in the Confection of Senna. Dose, 5j to 5j. 

Oleum Olivje (Olive Oil). The well-known oil obtained 
from the fruit of Olea Europsea, or Olive Tree '(Nat Ord. 
Oleacese), is nutritive, demulcent, emollient, and laxative. 
It is frequently prescribed as a constituent of laxative ene- 
mata. 

Oleum Amygdala Dulcis (Oil of Sweet Almond), is used 
for the same purposes as olive oil. 

13 



194 MATERIA MEDIC A. 



OLEUM RICINI — CASTOR OIL. 

Castor oil is the oil obtained from the seeds of Ricinus 
communis, or Palma Christi {Nat. Ord. Euphorbiacese), a 
small perennial tree of India, now naturalized in many 
warm climates, and cultivated extensively in the United 
States. In this country, it is an annual plant, about five or 
six feet in height, with round, thick-jointed, furrowed 
stems, of a purplish color above; large peltato-palmate 
leaves, divided into seven or nine segments, on long round 
footstalks ; and prickly, three-celled capsules, with a seed 
in each cell. The seeds are ovate, about the size of a small 
bean, and of a gray color, marbled with reddish-brown 
spots and stripes. They possess considerable acridity, and, 
in large quantities, have produced death. They consist of 
a thin outer pellicle, an inner, hard, blackish shell — both 
of which are inert — and a white oleaginous kernel, which 
contains the acrid principle. 

Castor oil is obtained by expression, by decoction, and 
by the agency of alcohol. The first method is the best, 
and is that which is pursued in this country, where large 
quantities are made both for home consumption and expor- 
tation. Thus procured, it is nearly colorless, or of a pale- 
yellow color, of a thick viscid consistence, a faint, unplea- 
sant odor, and a mild, nauseous taste, and becomes rancid 
and thick by exposure to the air. It is not soluble in wa- 
ter, but is extremely soluble in alcohol, readily so in ether, 
and forms soap with alkalies. Its composition is not well 
understood : its constituents would seem to be mainly 
ricinolein, and a little stearin and palmitin. 

Effects and Uses. — Castor oil is a mild and tolerably cer- 
tain laxative, operating, when pure, without uneasiness in 
the bowels. It is admirably adapted to all cases where a 
free evacuation of the bowels is desired, without abdomi- 
nal irritation, as in dysentery, pregnancy, &c, and is an 
excellent purgative for children. The leaves are said to 



SULPHUR. 195 

possess galactagogue properties, and are applied to the 
breasts, in the form of decoction, to induce the secretion 
of milk. 

Administration. — For adults the dose is gss to Sj ; for 
children f 5j to f §ss. To cover its unpleasant flavor, it is 
sometimes taken floating on spirit, coffee, mint-water, com- 
pound spirit of ether, &c, or made into an emulsion, or 
mixed with the froth of porter, or a little oil of bitter 
almonds. 

Flaxseed Oil and Melted Butter are laxative in the 
same doses as castor oil. 



SULPHUR. 

Sulphur exists in both kingdoms of nature. It is pro- 
cured by the purification of native sulphur, and by the de- 
composition of the native sulphurets. The sulphur of 
commerce is generally obtained in the former way, chiefly 
from Sicily, and is termed crude sulphur. After importa- 
tion, it is purified by sublimation, and is known as sub- 
limed sulphur — sulphur sublimatum. It is sometimes 
sublimed in the form of an impalpable powder, when it is 
called the flowers of sulphur. Sometimes it is cast in 
wooden moulds, and forms the roll sulphur or brimstone 
of commerce. Sublimed sulphur contains more or less 
sulphuric acid, and for medicinal use, it is further purified 
by washing, when it constitutes the Sulphur Lotum or 
Washed Sulphur of the Pharmacopoeia. As met with in 
the shops, it is a fine bright-yellow powder, with a feeble 
odor and taste, insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, 
ether, chloroform, alkaline solutions, and the oils; and 
when perfectly pure, it is wholly volatilized by heat, and 
ought not to change the color of litmus paper. 

Effects and Uses. — In small and repeated doses, sulphur 
is a gentle stimulant to the skin and mucous membranes ; 
and in larger doses, * it acts as a mild purgative, without 



196 MATERIA MEDICA. 

exciting the pulse or occasioning griping. It is employed 
in the cases to which laxatives are applicahle, and also as 
an alterative diaphoretic in chronic cutaneous diseases, 
rheumatism, and gout, and as an expectorant in pulmonary 
affections. To increase its cathartic effect, it is often com- 
bined with cream of tartar or magnesia. Externally, it is 
a valuable remedy in various skin diseases, particularly 
scabies. 

Administration. — Dose, 5j to 5iij or 5iv, in syrup, treacle, 
or milk. Externally, it is applied in the form of vapor- 
bath or ointment. Uhguentum Sulphuris consists of one part 
of sulphur and two parts of lard. 

Sulphur Prjecipitatum (Precipitated Sulphur, or Lac 
Sulphuris), is prepared by boiling together sulphur, slacked 
lime, and water, and afterwards precipitating the sulphur 
by muriatic acid. It is a finer and softer powder than sub- 
limed sulphur, is of a paler yellow color, with a grayish 
tint, and is not gritty between the teeth. When exposed 
to the air, however, it is liable to become contaminated 
with sulphuric acid, and as found in commerce, it is often 
adulterated with sulphate of lime. Its effects, uses, and 
doses are the same as those of sublimed sulphur. 



SALINE CATHARTICS. 
MAGNESIA. 

Magnesia, sometimes called calcined magnesia, from the 
mode in which it is prepared, is procured by exposing the 
carbonate of magnesia to a red heat, till the carbonic acid 
is wholly expelled. It is a light, fine, white, colorless, 
odorless powder, of a feeble alkaline taste, very slightly 
soluble in water, and more soluble in cold than in hot 
water. Henry's Magnesia, a patent English medicine, has 
the advantage over the ordinary magnesia, of greater den- 
sity and softness, and more ready miscibility with water. 



SULPHATE OP MAGNESIA. 197 

Magnesia, prepared by Mr. Husband and Mr. Ellis, of Phi- 
ladelphia, is very similar in properties to Henry's. 

Effects and Uses. — Magnesia is antacid and laxative. A 
good deal of its cathartic effect is the result of its combi- 
nation with the free acids of the stomach and intestines, in 
which soluble magnesian salts are formed. When taken 
in large quantities, and for too long a period, it sometimes 
accumulates in the bowels; and hence it is best to increase 
its solubility by giving it with lemonade. It is an excel- 
lent laxative w here much acidity exists in the stomach; 
and is particularly useful in infantile cases. As an antacid, 
it is employed in heartburn, sick headache, and nephritic 
complaints. Dose, as a laxative, 5j ; as an antacid, 3j, in 
milk. Of Henry's, half the quantity. ' 



MAGNESIiE CARB0NAS — CARBONATE OF MAGNESIA. 

Carbonate of magnesia, as found in the shops, is pre- 
pared by decomposing sulphate of magnesia with an alka- 
line carbonate. It occurs in the form of light white cubical 
cakes, or powder; is inodorous, almost insipid, and nearly 
insoluble in water, but soluble in carbonic acid water. 

Its effects and uses are nearly the same as those of calcined 
magnesia; but, from its effervescence with the acids of the 
stomach, it is apt to create flatulence, though sometimes, 
on this account, more acceptable to delicate stomachs. 
Dose, as a laxative, 5j to 5ij ; as an antacid, gr. x. 



MAGNESIA SULPHAS — SULPHATE OF MAGNESIA. 

This salt, commonly called Epsom Salt, from its having 
been first procured from the Epsom mineral waters in Eng- 
land, occurs in native crystals, and is a constituent of sea- 
water and many saline springs. It is obtained in England 
from dolomite, or magnesian limestone ; and also from bit- 



198 MATERIA MEDICA. 

tern, or the residual liquor of sea-water, from which common 
salt has been separated. In this country, it is extensively 
manufactured at Baltimore and Philadelphia, by the action 
of sulphuric acid on magnesite, the silicious hydrate of mag- 
nesia. It is usually met with in small acicular crystals, 
which are colorless, transparent, and odorless, but have an 
extremely bitter taste. They effloresce on exposure to the 
air, are very soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol. The 
chemical composition of the salt is one equivalent of acid, 
one of magnesia, and seven of water of crystallization. 

Effects and Uses. — Epsom salt is a mild, safe, refrigerant 
purgative, which, from its cheapness, is by far the most 
commonly employed of all the cathartics. It is sometimes 
combined with senna, sometimes with the bitter infusions, 
and is most agreeably administered in solution in carbonic 
acid water. Dose, §j. 



LIQUOR MAGNESIA CITRATIS — SOLUTION OF 
CITRATE OF MAGNESIA. 

Citrate of magnesia may be obtained by saturating a 
solution of citric acid with either magnesia or its carbonate. 
It is a white, pulverulent, insipid salt, soluble in water, 
with a slight addition of carbonic acid. Dose, gss to Sj. 
It is only, however, in solution, with a slight excess of acid, 
and in the effervescing state, that it is officinal. The effer- 
vescing solution has a pleasant acid taste, without anything 
disagreeable. It is a very grateful cathartic, and has lately 
been much employed as a substitute for Epsom salt. From 
six to twelve nuidonnces of the solution of the Pharmaco- 
poeia may be given. 



SOD^l SULPHAS — SULPHATE OF SODA. 

Sulphate of soda, commonly called Glauber's Salt, is a 
constituent of many mineral springs, and is prepared in 



PHOSPHATE OF SODA. 199 

various chemical processes. It occurs as a residuum in the 
manufacture of muriatic acid; it is also made hy adding 
sulphuric acid to chloride of sodium ; and it is obtained 
from sea-water in the winter season. It is found in color- 
less, six-sided, efflorescent crystals, which are inodorous, 
but have a cooling, saline, very bitter taste. It is soluble 
in water, more readily in hot than in cold water, and is in- 
soluble in alcohol. Its chemical composition is one equi- 
valent of soda, one of acid, and ten of water. 

Its effects and uses are very similar to those of Epsom 
salt, but it is more bitter and nauseous, and is now little 
used. It has an antiplastic action on the blood. Dose, gj ; 
in an effloresced state, gss. 



MANGANESII SULPHAS — SULPHATE OF MANGANESE. 

This salt, lately introduced into the Pharmacopoeia, is 
made by heating the native black oxide with concentrated 
sulphuric acid, and consists of one equivalent of sulphuric 
acid and one of protoxide of manganese. It occurs in 
rhombic, prismatic crystals, of a pale-rose or pink color, 
and an astringent, bitterish taste. It is very soluble - in 
water, insoluble in alcohol. 

In its effects it is said to resemble Glauber f s Salt, acting 
also as a cholagogue. Dose, as a purgative, 5i-ij. As a 
tonic, it has been given in doses of gr. v-xx. 



SOD^) PHOSPHAS — PHOSPHATE OF SODA. 

This salt is prepared by digesting powdered burnt bone 
with diluted sulphuric acid, and decomposing the result- 
ing superphosphate of lime with carbonate of soda. It 
occurs in large, rhombic, colorless, transparent, very efflo- 
rescent crystals, which are wholly soluble in water, and in- 
soluble in alcohol, and have a pleasant saline taste, resem- 
bling that of common salt. 



200 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Effects and Uses. — Phosphate of soda is a mild saline ca- 
thartic, well adapted, from its agreeable taste, to the cases 
of children and delicate persons, but too expensive for 
general use. It is a constituent of the blood in health, and 
has been recommended in cholera as a restorative of defi- 
cient saline matters, and also in diseases where there is a 
deficiency of phosphatic matter in the bones. Dose, as a 
cathartic, 5vj to 5xij, in broth or soup; as an alterative, 3j 
or 3ij, three or four times a day. 



P0TASS.E SULPHAS — SULPHATE OF POTASS A. 

This salt exists in both kingdoms of nature, and is ob- 
tained artificially from the residuum of the distillation of 
nitric acid. It occurs in small, hard, colorless, inodorous 
crystals, of a saline, bitter taste, which have no water of 
crystallization, and are unalterable in the air. They are 
moderately soluble in water, and are insoluble in alcohol. 

Effects and Uses. — In small doses, it is considered a mild 
and safe cathartic; but, in large doses, it has proved a vio- 
lent and even fatal poison, producing symptoms of cholera. 
It is thought to act as a lactifuge, or represser of milk, and 
is administered with this view in France. Dose, as a ca- 
thartic, gr. xv to 5j, or 5\j ; but it is little employed in this 
country. From its hardness and dryness it is useful to pro- 
mote the trituration and division of powders, and for this 
purpose is employed in making Dover's powder. 



POTASS^ BITARTRAS — BITARTRATE OF POTASSA. 

This salt, well known as Cream of Tartar, and termed 
also the acid tartrate of potash, exists in many vegetable 
juices, particularly the juice of grapes, from which it is ob- 
tained. It is deposited in an impure form, during fermen- 
tation, on the sides of wine-casks, and in this state occurs 



TARTRATE OF POTASSA AND SODA. 201 

in crystalline cakes, of a reddish color, known as argol or 
crude tartar. This is purified by solution and crystalliza- 
tion, and forms a white crystalline mass or powder, termed 
cream of tartar. It is without smell, has an acidulous and 
gritty taste, is very slightly soluble in water, and insoluble 
in alcohol. Its chemical composition is one equivalent of 
potash, one of tartaric acid, and one of water : the water 
acts the part of a base, as it cannot be expelled without 
decomposing the salt, which, when heated in a close vessel, 
is converted into a black flux, a compound of charcoal and 
carbonate of potash. 

Effects and Uses. — In small doses, it is diuretic and re- 
frigerant; in larger doses, cathartic; and in excessive 
doses, it will produce gastro-intestinal inflammation. It 
is employed to form a refrigerant drink, and as a gentle 
aperient, in fevers; and as a diuretic and hydragogue 
cathartic in dropsies. Dose, as an aperient, 5j or 5\j ; as a 
cathartic, §ss to 5j ; very often combined with jalap ; as a 
diuretic, 3j to 5j, in repeated doses. 



POTASSA TARTRAS — TARTRATE OF POTASSA. 

This salt, formerly called Soluble Tartar, is obtained by 
saturating the excess of acid in cream of tartar with car- 
bonate of potassa. It occurs in white deliquescent crystals 
or grains, of a saline, somewhat bitter taste, and is very 
soluble in water. It consists of two equivalents of potassa 
and one of acid. It is a gentle cathartic and diuretic, at 
present not much used. Dose, §ss to §j. 



POTASS^ ET SOD^l TARTRAS — TARTRATE OF POTASSA 

AND SODA. 

This salt, commonly called JRochelle Salt, is made by satu- 
rating the excess of acid in cream of tartar with carbonate 



202 MATERIA MEDICA. 

of soda. It occurs in large, transparent, colorless, pris- 
matic, slightly efflorescent crystals, of a mildly saline and 
bitter taste, readily soluble in cold water, and still more so 
in hot water. It consists of 1 eq. of soda, 1 of potassa, 1 
of acid, and 10 of water. It is a mild and pleasant aperient, 
but it renders the urine alkaline, and should not therefore 
be given to persons suffering with phosphatic deposits in 
the urine. Dose, §ss to §j. It is usually exhibited in the 
form of Pulveres Efferveseentes Aperientes (Aperient Efferves- 
cing Powders), or Seidlitz Poivders, which consist of Rochelle 
salt (5\j) and bicarbonate of soda (3ij), in a blue paper, and 
tartaric acid (gr. xxxv), in a white paper. They are taken, 
dissolved in half a pint of water, while the liquid is in a 
state of effervescence, and form a very agreeable, mild 
aperient. They should not be kept in a damp place. 



MILD ACRID CATHARTICS. 
RHEUM — RHUBARB. 

Rhubarb is the root of Rheum palmatum, and of other 
species of Rheum (Nat Ord. Polygonaceae). It is not known 
with certainty what species yields the officinal rhubarb, but 
it is attributed by most writers to R. palmatum, a perennial 
plant, with large, roundish, cordate, half-palmate leaves, 
growing spontaneously in Chinese Tartary and Mongolia, 
and cultivated in Europe and this country, together with 
several other varieties, for the leaf-stalks, which make 
excellent tarts. Rhubarb roots are prepared for the mar- 
ket by being cleansed, deprived of their cortical portion, 
cut into pieces, pierced through their centre, strung upon 
a cord, and dried in the sun. Three principal sorts are 
known : Chinese, Russian or Turkey, and European. The 
first two are obtained, by different routes, from Central Asia. 
1. Chinese rhubarb is the most common variety, and is im- 
ported principally from Canton. It occurs in roundish 



RHUBARB. 203 

pieces, sometimes flattened, of a dirty brownish-yellow 
color externally (the cortical portion apparently scraped 
off), having a ragged fracture (which presents red, yellow- 
ish, and white veins), and it is often perforated with holes, 
with portions of the cord on which it was dried occasion- 
ally remaining. It has a peculiar odor, an astringent, 
somewhat hitter taste, is gritty when chewed, and tinges 
the saliva of a yellow color ; its powder is yellowish, with 
a reddish-brown tinge. It is heavier than the Russian 
variety, and is generally inferior in quality to it ; but the 
best pieces answer very well. 2. Russian rhubarb has 
probably the same source as the Chinese, but it is selected 
with greater care, and is rigorously inspected by the Rus- 
sian government. It is carried in caravans through Russia 
to St. Petersburg, whence it is exported. The pieces are 
irregular in shape, and are often angular, from the cortical 
portion having been cut off and not scraped. They are 
less heavy and compact than the Chinese, of a livelier 
color both externally and internally, and are perforated 
with larger holes, which have been made for the purpose of 
inspection. The taste and smell are very like those of the 
Chinese, but are more aromatic; the powder is bright 
yellow. 3. European rhubarb is of uncertain quality, and 
is seldom found in the shops. The kind most frequently 
met with is English rhubarb, which generally comes in 
pieces five or six inches long, and about an inch thick, and 
is called stick rhubarb. It is lighter, more spongy, and 
redder than the Asiatic varieties, with a feebler odor and 
less bitter taste. 

Rhubarb imparts its virtues to both water and alcohol, 
but they are impaired by long boiling. Its most important 
chemical constituents are — chrysojphanic acid, a yellow, odor- 
less, tasteless, granular substance ; two, or perhaps three 
resins, soluble in alcohol, and insoluble in water ; and bitter 
extractive. It is supposed that the therapeutical properties 
of the drug depend chiefly on the conjoint operation of 



204 MATERIA MEDICA. 

these principles. It contains also tannic and gallic acids, 
sugar, pectin, oxalate of lime, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — In small doses, rhubarb is an astrin- 
gent tonic. In larger doses, it is a slow and mild cathartic, 
occasionally causing griping and accelerating the pulse, but 
never inflaming the mucous membrane of the alimentary 
canal like the drastics. It is much employed as a purga- 
tive in diarrhoea, in which it is particularly useful from its 
secondary astringent effect, and in dyspepsia, attended with 
costiveness, where it acts both as a stomachic and laxative. 
It is not adapted to febrile or inflammatory cases. In the 
bowel-complaints of children, rhubarb deservedly enjoys 
great popularity, and it is also highly esteemed in infan- 
tile scrofula. Made into a cataplasm, and applied to the 
abdomen, it acts as a purgative on children. 

Administration. — Dose, as a stomachic laxative, gr. v to 
gr. x; as a purgative, 3j to 5j. The following are the offici- 
nal preparations : Infusion (5j to boiling water Oss), dose, 
foj to f§ij, repeated; Extract (alcoholic), dose, gr. x to gr. 
xxx ; Fluid Extract (made with alcohol, and containing 
also sugar), dose, f5j ; Tincture (giij to diluted alcohol Oij, 
with cardamom seeds) ; Tincture of Rhubarb and Aloes; Tinc- 
ture of Rhubarb and Senna (containing rhubarb, senna, co- 
riander, fennel seed, red saunclers, extract of liquorice, 
and raisins, and popularly known as Warner's Gout Cor- 
dial) ; Tincture of Rhubarb and Gentian : the dose of all the 
tinctures is fgss to fgj, and they are chiefly adapted to low 
forms of disease and persons accustomed to the use of 
stimulants; Compound Pills of Rhubarb (containing also 
aloes, myrrh, and oil of peppermint) ; Compound Powder 
of Rhubarb (containing 2 parts of rhubarb, 6 parts of mag- 
nesia, and 1 part of ginger) ; Syrup ; Aromatic Syrup (con- 
tainiug cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and much used 
in infantile cases under the name of Spiced Syrup of Rhu- 
barb), dose for an infant, f3j ; and Wine, not much used. 
Roasting impairs the cathartic power of rhubarb, and is 
said to increase its astringency. 



ALOES. 205 



Juglans [Butternut). The inner bark of the root of 
Juglans cinerea, or Butternut (Nat. Ord. Juglandacese), an 
indigenous forest tree, possesses cathartic properties, re- 
sembling those of rhubarb. Dose of the bark, or of the 
extract, which is preferred, gr. x to gr. xxx. 



ALOE — ALOES. 

Aloes is the inspissated juice of the leaves of Aloe 
spicata, Aloe Socotrina, Aloe vulgaris, and other species of 
Aloe (Nat. Ord. Liliaceae), succulent, herbaceous plants, 
growing in warm countries. The finest kinds are obtained 
by exudation ; those prepared by expression and by boil- 
ing are inferior. Three principal varieties are known in 
commerce : Cape, Socotrine, and Barbadoes aloes, the first 
two of which are the most used in the United States. 1. 
Cape aloes (aloe capensis), which is much the most common, 
is obtained from the Cape of Good Hope, where it is col- 
lected indiscriminately from A. spicata, and other species. 
It has a shining, resinous appearance, is of a deep-brown 
color, with a greenish tint, translucent at its edges, and 
has a glossy or resinous fracture. Its powder is greenish- 
yellow ; its odor is strong and disagreeable, but not nau- 
seous. 2. Socotrine aloes (aloe Socotrina), when genuine, is 
the choicest variety. It is produced in the island of Soco- 
tra, and on the eastern coast of Africa, from A. Socotrina, 
and occurs in pieces of a yellowish or reddish-brown color, 
becoming darker on exposure to the air, with a smooth 
and conchoidal fracture, the interior being lighter-colored 
than the. exterior. Its powder is golden-yellow; its odor 
peculiar, but not unpleasant, and its taste bitter and disa- 
greeable, but aromatic. Hepatic aloes is probably an infe- 
rior variety of Socotrine, and is seldom met with in our 
shops. It is of a reddish-brown color, but darker and 
less glossy than the Socotrine. 3. Barbadoes aloes (aloe 
Barbadensis), comes from the West Indies, the product 



206 MATERIA MEDICA. 

chiefly of A. vulgaris ; it is imported in gourds, weighing 
from sixty to seventy pounds. Its color is not uniform, 
varying from a dark-brown or black to a liver color. It 
has a dull fracture ; makes an olive-yellow powder ; and is 
distinguishable by its particularly disagreeable, nauseous 
odor. The taste of all the varieties of aloes is intensely 
bitter, and very tenacious. 

Aloes yields its virtues to water and alcohol. A proxi- 
mate neutral crystalline principle, termed aloin, has been 
extracted from it, which produces the cathartic action of 
aloes in doses of gr. j to gr. ij. It is slightly soluble in 
cold water, but readily soluble in hot water and alcohol. 

Effects and Uses. — Aloes, in small doses, is tonic, and in 
large doses, purgative. As a cathartic, it is remarkable 
for the slowness of its operation, and its special action on 
the large intestine and the pelvic viscera generally. Hence, 
it is objectionable in cases of hemorrhoids, irritation of the 
genito-urinary apparatus, pregnancy, &c. ; and, on the 
other hand, is useful in amenorrhoea. It stimulates the 
hepatic secretion also. It is principally employed in cases 
of dyspepsia, accompanied by costiveness, dependent on a 
torpid condition of the large intestine or liver. It is also 
useful as a revulsive in cerebral affections, and has proved 
efficacious as an anthelmintic. As a purgative, it holds 
an intermediate rank between rhubarb and senna. 

Administration. — Dose, gr. v to gr. x-xx, in pill; it is 
usually given in combination with other cathartics. Aloes 
is so often mixed with impurities, that, for medicinal use, 
it is best employed under the form of aloe purificata (puri- 
fied aloes), which is prepared by straining and evaporating 
an alcoholic solution. The officinal preparations are : 
Pills of Aloes, consisting of equal parts of aloes and soap ; 
Pills of Aloes and Mastic, three parts of aloes to one part 
of mastic and red-rose, each ; Pills of Aloes and Assafetida, 
useful in flatulent constipation ; Pills of Aloes and Myrrh, 
or Pufus's Pills, employed in amenorrhoea; Powder of 
Aloes and Canella, known as hiera picra, four parts of aloes 



SENNA. 207 

to one of canella; Tincture (a troyounce to alcohol Oss, 
distilled water Qjss, with liquorice), dose, fgss to fgjss; 
Tincture of Aloes and Myrrh ; Wine of Aloes. 



LEPTANDRA. 

The root of Leptandra Yirginica, Culver's Root, or Cul- 
ver's Physic [Nat. Oral. Scrophulariaceae), an herbaceous, 
perennial plant, three or four feet high, with leaves in 
whorls, and a long spike of white flowers, is now ranked 
as a valuable cholagogue cathartic. It consists of a dark- 
brown rhizoma, from two to four lines in thickness, seve- 
ral inches in length, with numerous long slender radicles. 
The odor is feeble and disagreeable, the taste bitterish, 
somewhat nauseous and acrid. Water and alcohol extract 
its virtues, which depend on a peculiar principle, termed 
leptandrin. Dose of the powdered root, gr. xx to 5j ; of 
leptandrin (made by precipitating a tincture of the root), 
gr. ij-iv ; a fluid extract has been used. 



SENNA. 

Senna consists of the leaflets of several species of Cas- 
sia (Nat Ord. Fabacese), small shrubs, which grow in the 
tropical regions of Asia and Africa. The species recog- 
nized as officinal are C. acutifolia, C. obovata, and C. elon- 
gata; and besides these, C. lanceolata, and C. ^Ethiopica, 
are also generally received as sources of the drug. The 
commercial varieties of senna, which are found in the United 
States, are the Alexandria, the Tripoli, the India, and the 
Mecca senna. 1. Alexandria senna, which comes from the 
port of this name in Egypt, is made up chiefly of the leaf- 
lets of C. acutifolia (which are yellowish-green, acute in 
shape, and less than an inch in length), intermingled with 
the pods, leafstalks, flowers, &c, of this plant. It contains 



208 MATERIA MEDICA. 

also leaflets of C. obovata, known by their rounded, ob- 
tuse summits ; and is, moreover ,. occasionally adulterated 
with the leaves of Cynanchum olesefolium, distinguishable, 
by their greater length, thickness, and firmness, from the 
genuine leaves. 2. Tripoli senna, brought from Tripoli, 
consists of the leaflets of C. ^Ethiopica, which are shorter, 
less acute, thinner, and more fragile than those of C. acu- 
tifolia, and are generally much broken up. 3. India senna 
is produced in Arabia, but comes into commerce through 
the ports of Hindostan. It consists of the leaflets, inter- 
mixed with the leafstalks and pods of C. elongata, and 
is readily recognized by the long, narrow, pike-like shape, 
and dark hue of the leaflets. A finer variety of India 
senna, cultivated at Tinnevelly, in Hindostan, has been 
known for some years past, which is distinguishable from 
the common sort of India senna, by the bright-green color 
of the leaflets. 4. Mecca senna is a variety lately intro- 
duced, and consists of leaflets, intermediate in length be- 
tween those of C. acutifolia and C. elongata, and has in 
mass a yellowish, tawny hue. Its source is not known with 
certainty, but it is probably the product of C. lanceolata. 

Commercial senna is prepared for use by separating the 
leaflets from the stalks, adulterations, &c. ; the pods pos- 
sess cathartic properties, but are less active than the leaves. 
The odor of senna is faint and sickly; its taste bitter, sweet- 
ish, and nauseous. It imparts its virtues to water and al- 
cohol, its infusion being of a reddish-brown color. It 
contains a peculiar substance called cathartin (which is not, 
however, the active principle), extractive, chlorophyll, &c. 

JEffects and Uses. — Senna is a prompt, efficient, and safe 
cathartic, well adapted to febrile and inflammatory cases ; 
it operates on the entire track of the intestinal canal, and 
produces watery, feculent discharges. Its tendency to 
gripe may in a great measure be counteracted by com- 
bining aromatics or neutral salts with it; the addition of 
bitters promotes its cathartic activity. 

Administration. — The dose in powder is 5ss to 5ij ; but it 



AMERICAN SENNA. 



209 



is usually given in infusion (a troyounce to boiling water 
Oj, with coriander, 5j), one-third for a dose, repeated. Con- 
feetio sennoe (made with senna, coriander, sugar, figs, and 
pulps of prunes, tamarinds, and purging cassia), is an ex- 
cellent mild cathartic, much used for pregnant women; 
dose, 5ij- Of the fluid extract, the dose is fgss. 

CASSIA MARILANDICA — AMERICAN SENNA. 

Cassia Marilandica, American Senna, or Wild Senna 
(Nat. Ord. Fabacese), possesses cathartic properties similar 

Fig. 17. 




14 



210 MATERIA MEDICA. 

to those of imported senna, bnt is less active. It is an in- 
digenous plant, common in the Southern and Western 
States, growing to the height of three or four feet, with 
alternate leaves, composed of from eight to ten pairs of 
oblong, lanceolate, pale-green leaflets, and bearing hand- 
some golden-yellow flowers, and a pendulous fruit two to 
four inches long. An infusion of the leaflets is given in 
doses one-third larger than those of senna. 

DRASTIC CATHARTICS. 
JALAPA — JALAP. 

Jalap is the root of Exogonium Purga, or Ipomsea Jalapa 
(Nat. Ord. Convolvulacese), a climbing plant of Mexico, 
which derives its name from the city of Jalapa, near Vera 
Cruz. The roots are imported either whole or in slices. 
When entire, they vary in size and shape from a walnut to 
a large pear, are hard and heavy — externally, brown and 
wrinkled, and internally grayish. They have a heavy, 
sweetish, rather nauseous smell, and a sweetish, acrid, dis- 
agreeable taste. They yield their virtues partly to water, 
partly to alcohol, and completely to diluted alcohol. In 
the shops, jalap is kept in the state of powder, which is of 
a yellowish-gray color. Its active principle is a peculiar 
resin, which consists of two portions, one of which has been 
termed rhodeoretin ; it contains also starch and gum, which 
are apt to be attacked by worms, the worm-eaten pieces 
becoming thus the most active. 

Effects and Uses. — Jalap is a powerful hydragogue ca- 
thartic, operating with great promptness, and often causing 
much pain. In overdoses, it may produce dangerous hy- 
percatharsis. It is employed as a hydragogue in dropsy, 
when it is often combined with cream of tartar; as a re- 
vulsive in cerebral and other affections, and to increase the 
activity of calomel in bilious fevers. Dose, gr. xv to xxx; 
in combination, gr. x. Of the extract, which is made with 



MAY-APPLE. 



211 



diluted alcohol, and contains the resin and gum, the dose 
is one half that of jalap. The compound powder of jalap 
contains one part of jalap and two parts of cream of tartar. 
The resin is extracted by solution in alcohol, and afterwards 
precipitated from the tincture by water. Dose, from four 
to eight grains. The tincture (six troyounces to alcohol, 
diluted with one-half a measure of water, Oij) is added to 
cathartic mixtures. 



PODOPHYLLUM PELTATUM — MAY-APPLE. 

Podophyllum peltatum, May-apple, or Mandrake (Nat. 

Fig. 18. 




Ord. Ranunculaceae), is a very common indigenous, herba- 
ceous plant, with a long, creeping, perennial root, and an 



212 MATERIA MEDICA. 

upright stem about a foot high, separating at top into two 
petioles, each supporting a large peltate leaf, divided into 
five or six lobes. At the fork of the petioles it bears a 
single flower, which appears in May, the fruit ripening in 
September. The rhizoma, which is the part used, is found 
in the shops in wrinkled, jointed pieces, about two lines in 
diameter, of a brown color externally, and yellowish within. 
The powder is yellowish-gray, and has a sweetish smell ; 
its taste is at first sweetish, afterwards bitter^ acrid, and 
nauseous. Diluted alcohol is the best solvent of podo- 
phyllum, which has been found to contain two resinous ca- 
thartic principles, both soluble in alcohol. 

Effects and Uses. — This is an active hydragogue cathartic, 
analogous in its operation to jalap, for which it might very 
well be substituted. It is an ingredient in several cathartic 
nostrums. Dose, in powder, 3j ; of the extract (prepared 
like the extract of jalap), gr. v to gr. xv; of the resin, gr. J 
to gr. j. 

SCAMMONIUxW — SCAMMONY. 

Scammony is the concrete juice of the root of Convol- 
vulus Scammonia (Nat Ord. Convolvulacese), a twining 
plant of Syria. The finest kind is the product of exuda- 
tion from the sliced root; but most of the drug which 
reaches us is probably obtained by expression. It comes 
from the. Levant. Genuine scammony, termed Virgin 
Scammony, occurs in light, irregular, friable pieces, covered 
with a whitish-gray powder, and breaking with a bright- 
greenish fracture. The scammony of the shops, which is 
always more or less adulterated, is in hard, heavy, saucer- 
shaped cakes, from four to six inches in diameter (some- 
times broken into pieces), of a dark ash or slate color. The 
powder is light-gray; the smell disagreeable, like that of 
old cheese; the taste at first feeble, afterwards bitterish 
and acrid. Scammony is a gum-resin, its active ingredient 
being resin, which constitutes more than three-fourths of 



COLOCYNTH. 213 

the weight of good scammony. It is partially dissolved 
by water, more largely by alcohol and ether. 

A factitious scammony, made in France, and known as 
Montpelier Scammony, is occasionally imported into the 
United States. It is blacker than the genuine article, has 
a feeble, balsamic odor, and a very bitter nauseous taste. 

Effects and Uses. — Scammony is an energetic hydragogue 
cathartic, operating sometimes with great violence, and 
seldom giv»en, except in combination with other cathartics. 
Dose, gr. v to gr. xv of the pure drug, gr. x to gr. xxx of 
the drug of the shops; of the resin, gr. iv to gr. viij. This 
is much used in the form of compound extract of colocynth. 

Helleborus [Black Hellebore). The root of Helleborus 
Niger, Black Hellebore, or Christmas Rose (Nat. Ord. Ra- 
nunculaceee), a mountainous European plant, at one time 
enjoyed much reputation as a hydragogue cathartic and 
emmenagogue. It is now little used, and only as an em- 
menagogue. Dose of the poiodered root, gr. x to gr. xx; 
of the alcoholic extract, gr. v to gr. x ; of the tincture (four 
troy ounces to diluted alcohol Oij), f5ss to f5j. 



COLOCYNTHI S — C OLOCYKTH. 

Colocynth is the fruit (deprived of its rind) of Citrullus 
Colocynthis or Bitter Cucumber (Nat. Ord. Cucurbitacese), 
an annual plant of the south of Europe and parts of Asia 
and Africa, resembling the common watermelon. The 
fruit is peeled and dried for exportation, and comes to us 
from the Levant. It consists of light, whitish, spongy 
balls, about the size of a small orange, filled with nume- 
rous seeds. For medicinal use, the pulp only is employed, 
and the seeds, which are inactive, are rejected. The pulp 
has a feeble odor, and a nauseous, intensely bitter taste. 
It yields its virtues to both water and alcohol, and contains 
a peculiar bitter principle, termed colocynthin, resin, &c. 



214 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Effects and Uses. — Colocynth is a violent hydragogue 
cathartic, acting sometimes very harshly even in small 
doses, and in overdoses producing dangerous, and occa- 
sionally fatal enteric inflammation. The dose is gr. v to 
gr. x. It is seldom, however, administered alone. In the 
form of compound extract (which contains also aloes, scam- 
mony, and cardamom), it is a favorite prescription — dose, 
gr. v-xx ; and the compound extract, combined with ex- 
tract of jalap, calomel, and gamboge,' constitutes a very 
popular cathartic compound, known as the compound ca- 
thartic pills. 

GAMBOGIA — GAMBOGE. 

G-amboge is a gum-resin, procured in Siam and Cochin- 
China, the concrete juice of a tree which has never yet 
been examined by botanists. The juice is said to be col- 
lected, as it exudes from the wounded bark of the tree, in 
cocoa-nut shells, and is afterwards rolled into cylinders, or 
transferred to earthen jars to dry; it is sometimes also 
received into the hollow joints of the bamboo. It is im- 
ported from Canton and Calcutta, and occurs in cylindrical 
rolls from one to three inches in diameter, of an orange 
color, known as pipe gamboge, or in irregular masses (which 
are less pure), weighing two or three pounds or more, 
called cake or lump gamboge. Good gamboge is opaque, 
brittle, inodorous, nearly insipid, and breaks with a vitre- 
ous fracture; its powder is bright-yellow. It is a gum- 
resin, forming a yellow opaque emulsion with water, and 
a golden-yellow solution with alcohol. 

Effects and Uses. — Gamboge is a powerful hydragogue, 
and in overdoses has proved fatal. It is employed in ob- 
stinate constipation — in dropsies, combined with cream of 
tartar or jalap — and has been given to destroy taenia. Dose, 
gr. ij to gr. vj. It is often prescribed with other and 
milder cathartics, to promote and accelerate their action. 



CROTON OIL. 215 



ELATERIUM. 



Elaterium is a substance deposited by the juice of the 
fruit of Momordica Elaterium, Ecbalium agreste, or 
Squirting Cucumber {Nat. Ord. Cucurbitacese), an annual 
vine of the south of Europe, now cultivated in England. 
The fruit has the shape of a small oval cucumber, and, 
when fully ripe, separates from the peduncle, and throws 
out its juice and seeds with considerable force, through an 
opening in the base. Pure elaterium is obtained by slicing 
the fruit, and allowing the juice to drain through a sieve. 
The juice deposits a sediment, which dries in very light, thin, 
nearly flat, pulverulent, greenish-gray cakes, and is the 
genuine elaterium. It is almost inodorous, and has a 
bitter, acrid taste. The commercial elaterium, which is 
obtained chiefly from England, is made by expression. 
The drug is to be considered inferior when it is dark- 
colored, much curled, and hard. Elaterium yields its vir- 
tues to alcohol and not to water. Its active principle is 
called elaterin, and proves powerfully cathartic in doses of 

t*2 t° is of a grain. 

Effects and Uses. — Elaterium is a hydragogue cathartic 
of great violence of operation, and in overdoses has fre- 
quently proved fatal. It has also a diuretic action. It is 
a very eflicient remedy in the treatment of dropsies, and 
is also a useful revulsive in cerebral affections; but, iir 
administering it, considerable caution is required. Dose 
of the pure drug (termed Clutterbuck's elaterium), gr. J; of 
the drug of the shops, gr. j to gr. ij : but it is most safely 
given in divided doses. Of elaterin, the dose is gr. y 1 ^ to 

OLEUM TIGLII — CROTON OIL. 

Croton oil is obtained from the seeds of Croton Tiglium 
(Nat. Ord. Euphorbiacese), a small tree of the East Indies. 



216 MATERIA MEDICA. 

The Croton seeds resemble the Castor seeds in shape and 
size, and consist of a blackish shell, sometimes covered 
with a yellowish-brown epidermis, and inclosing a yellow- 
ish oily kernel. They are highly irritant and cathartic, 
but are not imported into this country. They contain a 
volatile oil, a fixed oil, resin, cro tonic acid, &c. The 
croton oil of the shops is obtained by expression, and is 
a mixture of the fixed oil proper, the resin, and crotonic 
acid. It is made both in India and England ; the Indian 
oil being of a pale straw-color, and the English reddish- 
brown. It has a viscid consistence, which is increased by 
age, a faint peculiar odor, and an extremely acrid, pungent 
taste ; it is soluble in ether and the volatile and fixed oils, 
and partially so in alcohol. 

Physiological Effects. — Croton oil, taken internally, is a 
powerful hydragogue purgative, occasionally increasing 
also the secretion from the kidneys. One or two drops 
are usually sufficient to produce active catharsis, but some- 
times as much as eight or ten drops may be taken without 
affecting the bowels. It operates very speedily, often 
causing evacuations in half an hour, and is apt to produce 
considerable depression of the vascular system. In over- 
doses it has frequently proved fatal. Rubbed on the skin, 
croton oil causes rubefaction and a pustular or vesicular 
eruption; and rubbed over the abdomen, it will sometimes 
purge. 

Medicinal Uses. — Croton oil, from the smallness of the 
dose required, and the speediness of its action, is an ex- 
tremely valuable purgative in obstinate constipation, and 
in cerebral disorders, particularly coma. As a counter- 
irritant, it is extensively employed in pulmonary and laryn- 
geal affections, diseases of the joints, &c. Dose, one or 
two drops, made into pill, with bread-crumbs. For exter- 
nal use, it may be diluted with one or two parts of olive 
oil or oil of turpentine. 



MERCURIAL CATHARTICS. 217 



MERCURIAL CATHARTICS. 



The preparations of mercury, employed as cathartics, 
are calomel, blue pill, and mercury with chalk. Their purga- 
tive effects depend partly on the increased flow of bile 
which they occasion, and partly on the stimulus which 
they give to secretion from the mucous follicles of the 
intestinal canal, and from the pancreas. They are rarely 
employed alone, owing to the slowness and un certainty of 
their action ; hut are usually combined with, or followed 
by other cathartics (as jalap, senna, rhubarb, compound 
extract of colocynth, or some of the saline preparations). 
The mercurial cathartics are usually administered with a 
view of combining a purgative action with an effect on the 
secretions, particularly that of the liver; also, as anthel- 
mintics ; and as revulsives in cerebral and other affections. 
They are well adapted to infantile cases, from the facility 
of their administration, and are, especially beneficial in tbe 
ephemeral febrile attacks to which children are subject; 
they, moreover, rarely produce salivation in children. 

Hydrargyri Chloridum Mite (Mild Chloride of Mercury, 
or Calomel). (Noticed at length under the head of Altera- 
tives.) Dose, as a cathartic, gr. vj to xij, in pill or in pow- 
der, with syrup or molasses ; to be followed, in from four 
to six hours, by some other cathartic. Sometimes, when 
it is exhibited with a view to a full action on the liver, 
gr. j or ij may be given every hour or two until the whole 
purgative dose is taken; or, it may be administered at 
bedtime, with an aperient draught the next morning. For 
children, larger doses are required in proportion than for 
adults : gr. iij-vj may be given to a child from three to six 
years old. Calomel occasionally causes griping pain in the 
bowels, with bilious vomiting ; this is attributable, not to 
any irritable qualities in the medicine, but to the acrid 
character of the bile secreted. Calomel is an ingredient of 
the Compound Cathartic Pills. 



218 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Pilule Hydrargyri [Pills of Mercury), commonly called 
Blue Pills (see Alteratives), are analogous in their cathartic 
action to calomel, but milder. They are given in about 
the same doses, and in the same combinations, &c. 

Hydrargyrum cum Creta [Mercury with Chalk), — (see Al- 
teratives), — combines antacid with mercurial effects. It is a 
very mild preparation — weaker than even blue pill. It is 
used as a laxative, in bowel-complaints and other affections 
of children. Dose, gr. v-xx for adults ; for children, gr. 
ij or iij to viij or x, in powder, and not in pill. 



ENEMATA. 

In cases of irritability of the stomach — or with the view 
of hastening the action of cathartics taken by the mouth — 
or to remove feculent accumulations in the lower bowels — 
or to relieve tympanitis — or for the purpose of revulsion, 
cathartic enemata are frequently administered. 

When it is desired simply to open the bowels mechani- 
cally, tepid water, flaxseed tea, or other demulcent infu- 
sion may be employed. The common laxative enema con- 
sists of a tablespoonful of common salt, molasses, and lard 
or olive oil, each, in two-thirds of a pint of warm water ; 
castor oil, or Epsom salt, may be added to increase the ca- 
thartic effect. Senna tea, or some other cathartic infusion, 
is often employed. To relieve flatulency, oil of turpentine 
(fgss to f§j, in emulsion), or milk of assafetida (fgij to 
fgiv), may be given. The latter is an excellent prepara- 
tion in infantile cases. 



ORDER III. — DIAPHORETICS. 

Diaphoretics (from diacpopeio, I transpire), called also sudo- 
rifics, are medicines which promote transpiration from the 
skin. The action of the cutaneous exhalants may be in- 



DIAPHORETICS. 219 

creased by various means. The mere introduction of a 
large quantity of fluid into the system will produce sweat- 
ing if the skin be kept warm. Exercise and a warm tem- 
perature, by determining a flow of blood to the cutaneous 
vessels, act in the same way. Nauseants occasion diapho- 
resis, by relaxing the orifices of the cutaneous vessels ; 
stimulants, by exciting them to increased secretion. Dia- 
phoretics are employed therapeutically, for their evacuant, 
revulsive, and alterative effects, and to promote absorption. 
Different classes of diaphoretics are required for different 
morbid conditions. 

1. Nauseating Diaphoretics. — Most of the emetics, in nau- 
seating doses, produce a powerful relaxing diaphoretic ac- 
tion, and are much employed, with this view, in inflamma- 
tory cases, when not contraindicated by the presence of 
gastric irritability. The Preparations of Antimony (see 
p. 169), and Ipecacuanha (see p. 185), are chiefly resorted 
to as nauseating diaphoretics. Ipecacuanha is often given 
as a diaphoretic, in combination with opium, in the form 
of Dover's Powder (see p. 46). 

2. Refrigerant Diaphoretics. — The saline and ethereal pre- 
parations classed as refrigerants (see p. 173), produce a gen- 
tle relaxing diaphoretic action, unattended with nausea. 
They are used to allay febrile excitement. 

3. Stimulating Diaphoretics. — This group includes the dif- 
fusible stimulants, aromatic substances generally, of every 
class, and many narcotics, particularly opium and camphor. 
They are contraindicated in high inflammation, but are 
very serviceable in rheumatic and pulmonary affections, 
after vascular excitement has been reduced, and in all dis- 
eases where the surface of the body is cold. Opium, in 
the form of Dover's Powder, may be employed in inflamma- 
tory cases, where other stimulating diaphoretics are inad- 
missible, and is given with advantage in an early stage of 
acute rheumatism, dysentery, and catarrh, unless the ac- 
tion of the pulse be very strong, when depletion should be 
previously resorted to. The operation of the diaphoretic 



220 MATERIA MEDICA. 

stimulants is promoted by the free use of warm diluent 
drinks, and warm covering to the body. 

4. Alterative Diaphoretics. — Under this head are com- 
prised a class of diaphoretic medicines, which produce a 
gradual and nearly insensible increase of the cutaneous 
secretion, and are supposed to promote the elimination of 
noxious matters from the blood, through the vessels of the 
skin. They are employed chiefly in chronic rheumatic and 
cutaneous affections, and in secondary syphilis. 



ALTERATIVE DIAPHORETICS. 
SARSAPARILLA. 

The name Sarsaparilla is applied to the roots of Smilax 
officinalis and other species of Smilax [Nat. Ord. Smila- 
cese), twining, prickly shrubs of Mexico, Guatemala, and 
the warm countries of South America. The roots consist 
of numerous wrinkled, slender pieces, of the average thick- 
ness of a writing quill, several feet long, springing from a 
common head or rhizoma, and are frequently found in the 
shops with portions of the stems attached. Several varie- 
ties are known : 1. Honduras Sarsaparilla, the most com- 
mon variety in the United States, comes in bundles two or 
three feet long, composed of several roots folded length- 
wise, of a dirty grayish or reddish-brown color. 2. Ja- 
maica Sarsaparilla, which is probably derived also from 
Central America, comes in shorter bundles, and is known 
by the red color of the epidermis. 3. Vera Cruz Sarsapa- 
rilla, comes in large, loose bales, bound with cords or 
leather thongs, containing the roots folded on themselves, 
consisting of a head with numerous long radicles. 4. Bra- 
zilian Sarsaparilla is distinguished by the amylaceous cha- 
racter of its interior structure. 5. Guatemala Sarsaparilla 
(resembles the Brazilian. 

Sarsaparilla roots are several feet in length, about the 



SARSAPARILLA. 221 

thickness of a goose-quill, cylindrical, more or less wrinkled 
longitudinally, and consist of a whitish, brown, or pink 
cortical portion, covered with a thin gray, brown, or red 
epidermis, and inclosing a layer of whitish ligneous fibre, 
and a central pith. The cortical portion is more active than 
the interior portions ; the central medulla contains a good 
deal of starch. Sarsaparilla, in the dried state, is nearly 
inodorous, but its decoction has a strong smell. It has a 
mucilaginous, slightly bitter taste, and, when chewed for 
some time, produces a persistent acrid impression on the 
mouth ; this acridity of taste is the criterion of good sar- 
saparilla. Water and diluted alcohol extract its virtues, 
but they are impaired by long boiling. It contains an ac- 
tive principle, called smilacin or sarsaparillin, starch, resin, 
extractive, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — The physiological effects of sarsapa- 
rilla, beyond a slight diaphoretic action, are not very ob- 
vious ; in large doses, it occasionally produces nausea and 
vomiting. Its efficacy, however, in eradicating various 
morbid symptoms is well established, and its mode of ac- 
tion, though obscure, is generally attributed to a purifying 
influence on the blood, through the function of the skin. 
It is employed in secondary syphilis, particularly where the 
disease resists or is aggravated by the use of mercury ; also 
in chronic rheumatism, skin diseases, and cachectic condi- 
tions of the system generally. 

Administration. — Dose, of the powder, 5ss, three or four 
times a day — not much used, however, in this form. The 
compound decoction is made by boiling sarsaparilla with bark 
of sassafras root, guaiacum wood, liquorice root, and me- 
zereon. The compound syrup (which contains also guaia- 
cum wood, pale rose leaves, senna, liquorice root, and the 
oil of sassafras, anise, and partridge-berry), is a favorite 
preparation. Dose, f §ss, three times a day. Of the fluid 
extract, the dose is f 5ss. The compound fluid extract con- 
tains the ingredients of the compound decoction, except 
the guaiacum — dose, f5j, three or four times a day. 



222 MATERIA MEDICA. 



ARALIA NUDICAULIS — FALSE S ARS AP ARILL A. 

The root of Aralia Eudicaulis, False Sarsaparilla, or 
Small Spikenard (Nat. Ord. Araliacese), a small, indige- 
nous, perennial plant, possesses alterative diaphoretic pro- 
perties similar to those of sarsaparilla, and is employed as 
a substitute for it, in the same manner and doses. 

The root of A. racemosa or American Spikenard, and the 
bark of A. spinosa, or Angelica- Tree, are also employed as 
alterative diaphoretics. 



GUAIACI LIGNUM — GUAIACUM WOOD. 
GUAIACI RESINA — GUAIAC. 

Guaiacum Wood, or Lignum Vitce, and Guaiac, are pro- 
ducts of Guaiacum officinale (Nat. Ord. Zygophyllaceae), a 
large evergreen tree of South America and the West In- 
dies. The wood, which is remarkable for its hardness and 
density, is imported in logs or billets, covered with a thick 
gray bark; the outer portion or sapwood is of a pale yel- 
low color, the inner of an olive-brown. It is usually kept 
in the shops in the state of shavings or raspings; they are 
inodorous, unless heated, and when chewed for some time, 
they have a bitterish, pungent taste. Guaiacum wood 
yields its virtues to alcohol, and partially to water ; they 
depend on the guaiac contained in the wood. 

Guaiac is the concrete juice of Guaiacum officinale. 
It is obtained by spontaneous exudation, or by boring and 
heating billets of the wood, or by boiling the chips in a 
solution of salt, and skimming off the matter which rises 
to the surface. It comes in large, irregular, semi-transpa- 
rent, brittle pieces, of varying size — externally, of a deep- 
green or olive color, and internally, red. It has a slight, 
balsamic odor, which is rendered stronger by heat, and, 



MEZEREON. 223 

though at first nearly tasteless, leaves a hot, acrid sensation 
in the mouth and throat. Water dissolves it partially, al- 
cohol completely. It consists chiefly of a peculiar resinoid 
principle, called guaiacin or guaiacic acid, which is decom- 
posed by the mineral acids. 

Effects and Uses. — Guaiacum wood and guaiac are stimu- 
lant diaphoretics, and in large doses cathartic. They are 
principally used for their alterative virtues in chronic 
rheumatism, secondary syphilis, and skin diseases; guaiac 
has been used as a laxative. They are considered also to 
possess emmenagogue properties, and are employed in 
amenorrhcea and dysmenorrhcea. 

Administration. — Guaiacum wood is used only as an in- 
gredient in the compound decoction and syrup of sarsapa- 
rilla. Dose of guaiac, gr. x to gr. xxx, in pill or emulsion, 
sometimes combined with alkalies. The tincture (six troy- 
ounces to alcohol Oij), and ammoniated tincture (six troy- 
ounces to ar. sp. of ammonia Ojss), are much used in chro- 
nic rheumatism; the former is given also in amenorrhoea; 
dose, f5j three or four times a day. They are decomposed 
by water, and should be administered in mucilage, syrup, 
or milk. 

MEZEREUM — MEZEREON. 

Mezereon is the bark of Daphne Mezereum and Daphne 
Gnidium (Nat. Ord. Thymelacese), European shrubs, which 
grow to the height of four or five feet. The root-bark is 
the part employed in Great Britain, but the bark of our 
shops, which is brought from Germany, is the stem-bark. 
It comes in strips, from two to four feet long, and an inch 
or less in breadth, folded in bundles, or wrapped in the 
shape of balls. It has a thin, grayish, or reddish-brown, 
wrinkled epidermis, and a tough, pliable, whitish inner 
bark. When fresh, it has a faint nauseous smell, but when 
dry, it is nearly inodorous. Its taste is at first sweetish, 
afterwards highly acrid. It yields its virtues to water and 



224 MATERIA MEDICA. 

alcohol, and contains a peculiar crystalline principle, called 
daphnin, and a resin, to which it owes its acridity. 

Effects and Uses. — The topical action of mezereon is irri- 
tant and vesicant. When swallowed in large quantities, it 
is highly acrid ; in medicinal doses, it promotes the action 
of the secreting and exhaling organs, particularly the skin 
and kidneys. It is chiefly employed in conjunction with 
sarsaparilla (in the compound decoction, &c), as an altera- 
tive diaphoretic, in rheumatic, syphilitic, and cutaneous af- 
fections. As a masticatory, it has been chewed for the re- 
lief of paralysis of the muscles of deglutition. The oint- 
ment is used as a stimulating application to blistered sur- 
faces and indolent ulcers. 



SASSAFRAS RADIO IS CORTEX — BARK OF SASSAFRAS 

ROOT. 

This is the bark of the root of Sassafras officinale (Nat. 
Ord. Lauracese), an indigenous tree of middling size. The 
bark is found in the shops in small irregular pieces of a 
cinnamon color, sometimes invested with a brownish epi- 
dermis. It has a highly fragrant odor, and a sweetish aro- 
matic taste. Its virtues are extracted by water and alco- 
hol, and reside in a volatile oil (oleum sassafras). 

Effects and Uses. — Sassafras bark is a mild stimulant al- 
terative diaphoretic, used chiefly in combination with sar- 
saparilla. Its principal virtues are probably aromatic. 
Dose of the oil, two to ten drops. (For Sassafras Pith, see 
Demulcents.) 



ORDER IV. — DIURETICS. 

Diuretics (from dta, thoroughly, and oopsa), I make water), 
are medicines which excite the secretion of urine. The 
flow of urine maybe promoted indirectly, by increasing the 



DIURETICS. 225 

quantity of fluid taken into the stomach, or by the remo- 
val of causes which check its secretion, or by mental emo- 
tion, a cool temperature, &c. It is promoted directly by the 
use of medicinal agents which specifically affect the kid- 
neys; they are termed diuretics. A large proportion of 
diuretic medicines are found among the agents which in- 
fluence other secretions, particularly diaphoretics. The 
functions of transpiration and urination are to some extent 
vicarious, and the same articles will prove diaphoretic or 
diuretic, as their action may be directed to the skin or 
kidneys. External warmth and warm drinks determine 
the action of such medicines to the skin; and, on the 
other hand, if the skin be kept cool, and cool diluents 
freely administered, the secretion from the kidneys is pro- 
moted. 

Blennorrhetics, or medicines which have a special action 
on the mucous membranes, exert also a diuretic influ- 
ence — probably the result of the stimulating impression 
which they make on the mucous membrane of the urinary 
passages. When the action of the kidneys is obstructed 
by disease of the heart, sedatives prove diuretic, by their 
tranquillizing influence on the action of the heart. In 
cases of obstruction of the portal system, mercurials in- 
crease the efficacy of the diuretics proper; and also cathar- 
tics, by stimulating the flow of bile and of the pancreatic 
juice. 

The principal therapeutic employment of diuretics is to 
promote the absorption of dropsical effusions. They are also 
useful, in nephritic disorders attended with obstructed se- 
cretion ; in stone or gravel, with the view of rendering the 
urine more dilute ; and they may be resorted to as evacu- 
ants, to reduce inflammation. 

As diuretics act by becoming absorbed, they should be 
administered in a very diluted state, to prevent a cathartic 
effect. 

The following groups of medicines, noticed under other 
heads, are employed also as diuretics : 

15 



226 MATERIA MEDICA. 

1. The Saline and Ethereal Refrigerants (see p. 173). 

2. The Alkaline Carbonates (see Antacids) ; and the Alka- 
line Salts, ivhich contain a vegetable acid, as the acetates, ci- 
trates, and tartrates. The acid tartrate of potassa, or cream 
of tartar (see p. 200), is a very active diuretic. 

Potass^ Acetas [Acetate of Potassa). This salt, formerly 
termed sal diureticus, from its decided diuretic action, is 
made by saturating acetic acid with carbonate of potassa. 
It is white, when pure, of a warm, pungent, taste, very 
deliquescent, and soluble in water and alcohol. In small 
doses, it is diuretic ; in larger doses, gently cathartic. It 
is a good deal employed as a diuretic in dropsies, as an 
antacid in acute rheumatism, and has also been found 
useful as an alterative in cutaneous affections. As is the 
case with all the alkaline salts containing vegetable acids, 
the acid of this salt is decomposed in the system into car- 
bonic acid. Dose, 3j to 5j\ three or four times a day. 

3. Sedatives (see p. 165), particularly Digitalis (see p. 
165), which is very much employed in cardiac dropsies, in 
combination with squill. 

4. Blennorrheas (see p. 235), particularly the oleoresins. 

5. Most of the Stimulating Diaphoretics. 

6. Among Astringents, uva ursi (p. 135), and Pipsissewa 
(p. 136). 

SPECIAL DIURETICS. 
SCILLA — SQUILL. 

Squill is the bulb of Scilla maritima (Nat. Ord. Lilia- 
cese), a perennial plant, which grows on the shores of the 
Mediterranean. It has fibrous roots, attached to a roundish- 
ovate bulb, from which both the leaves and flower-stem 
spring directly, the latter appearing first; the leaves are 
broad-lanceolate, and from twelve to eighteen inches long ; 
the stem is about two feet high, and bears pale, yellowish- 
green flowers. 



SQUILL. 227 

The fresh bulb is pyriform, of the size of the fist to that 
of a child's head, and consists of thick, fleshy, concentric 
scales, attenuated at their edges, and attached to a rudi- 
mentary stem ; the outer scales are very thin and papery. 
Two kinds of squill bulbs are met with, the white and the 
red, which differ only in the color of their scales, and are 
identical in medicinal virtues. Both abound in a viscid, 
acrid juice, which is very much diminished by drying, with 
little loss of medicinal power. For importation, squill is 
usually sliced and dried, and is found in the shops in white 
or yellowish- white pieces, which, when dry, are brittle, 
but, when moist, flexible. They absorb moisture readily, 
and should be kept in well-stoppered bottles. They have 
a feeble odor, a bitter, nauseous, acrid taste, and yield 
their virtues to water, alcohol, and vinegar. Two active 
principles have been found in squill : one an acrid, poi- 
sonous, resinoid substance, soluble in alcohol and not in 
ether, the other, a bitter, yellow principle, soluble in water 
and alcohol ; the bitter principle is much less powerful. 

Physiological Effects. — In small doses, squill promotes se- 
cretion from the mucous membranes and the kidneys — its 
diuretic effect being much the most marked and constant. 
In larger doses, it excites nausea, vomiting, and occasion- 
ally purging ; and, in excessive doses, it acts as an acro- 
narcotic poison — gr. xxiv having proved fatal. 

Medicinal Uses. — Squill is employed principally in the 
treatment of dropsy ; it should not be used, however, in 
cases complicated with granular disease of the kidneys or 
inflammation of the bladder. Digitalis is much prescribed 
in combination with squill in the treatment of cardiac drop- 
sies, and calomel is often added with a view to its action 
on the absorbents. As a blennorrhetic expectorant, squill is 
an excellent remedy in chronic and subacute bronchial 
affections; it is, however, improper in inflammatory cases. 
As an emetic, squill is too dangerous for general use; but it 
forms an ingredient in some emetic preparations adminis- 
tered in croup. 



228 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Administration. — Dose, as a diuretic or expectorant, gr. j, 
repeated and gradually increased till nausea supervenes. 
Or. vj to gr. xij will vomit. Of the acetum scillce (four troy- 
ounces to diluted acetic acid Oij), the dose is tt#xxx to 
fo\j ; of the syrup, made from the vinegar, fSj ; of the com- 
pound syrup, known as hive-syrup (which contains also se- 
neka and tartar emetic, and is much used for children in 
croup), 10 drops to f3j, according to the age; of the tinc- 
ture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), 20 to 40 drops. 
The compound pills of squill contain also ginger, ammoniac, 
and soap, and are used as a stimulant expectorant; dose, 
5 to 10 grains three or four times a day. 



COLCHICUM. 

Colchici Radix, Colchicum Koot ; Colchici Semen, Colchicum Seed. 

Colchicum autumnale, or Meadow-Saffron (Nat. Ord. 
Melanthacese), is a small, biennial, bulbous plant, which 
grows wild, in moist meadows, in England and other tem- 
perate parts of Europe. The bulb, or corm, as it is bota- 
nically termed, appears in midsummer as a lateral offset 
from the corm of the preceding year, -and sends up the 
flower-stem in the autumn — the leaves and fruit following 
in the succeeding spring. The leaves are broadly lanceo- 
late, about live inches long; the flowers of a lilac or light- 
purple color; and the fruit oblong, elliptical, and three- 
celled. 

The corms and seeds are the portions used medicinally. 
The corms are gathered in July, just before the sprouting 
of the flower from the young corm. They are somewhat 
like tulip bulbs in appearance, but solid and not composed 
of scales. They are covered by an external brown mem- 
brane, and an inner reddish-yellow one. Internally, they 
are white, fleshy, and solid, and contain an acrid, bitter, 
milky juice. As found in the shops, they are in the dried 



COLCHICUM. 229 

state, sometimes whole, but usually cut into transverse 
slices about an eighth of an inch thick, with a notch on 
one side> and deprived of the outer brown membrane. 
They have a hircine odor, and a bitter, hot, and acrid 
taste. The seeds are brown, about the size of black mus- 
tard-seeds, inodorous, and have a bitter, acrid taste ; they 
are less apt to be injured by drying than the corms. 

Colchicum corms and seeds yield their virtues to vinegar 
and alcohol; they both contain a peculiar non-crystallizable 
alkaloid active principle, soluble in water and alcohol, 
termed colchicia, which is a powerful poison. 

Physiological Effects. — Colchicum is a local irritant. 
Taken internally, in small doses, it stimulates the secre- 
tions generally; in larger doses, it produces nausea, vomit- 
ing, and purging, and commonly a reduction of the fre- 
quency of the pulse ; in excessive doses, it is an acro-nar- 
cotic poison, producing death by a sedative action on the 
heart. Although placed among the diuretics, colchicum 
does not evince a more decided action on the kidneys than 
on other secretions, as those of the skin, liver, and mucous 
membranes. 

Medicinal Uses. — Colchicum has long enjoyed a high repu- 
tation in the treatment of gout ; and, although its modus me- 
dendi is rather obscure, it is universally admitted to possses 
a more decided control over the disease than any other 
remedy. Its efficacy is probably owing to a combined se- 
dative, anodyne, and eccritic action. It is usually admin- 
istered in repeated doses, till an effect is produced on the 
bowels ; Epsom salt and magnesia are often combined 
with it, as in the celebrated Scudamore's draught {magnesia, 
gr. xv to xx ; sulphate of magnesia, 5j to 5\j ; vinegar of col- 
chicum, f5j to f5ij, in any pleasant vehicle). When it is de- 
sired to act on the kidneys and skin rather than the bowels, 
opiates are sometimes given with it. In rheumatism, col- 
chicum is also employed, but with less marked success than 
in gout. It has been occasionally resorted to as a diuretic 
in dropsy, as a sedative in febrile and inflammatory dis- 



230 MATEEIA MEDICA. 

eases, as an anthelmintic, as an expectorant, and in some 
nervous affections. 

Administration. — Dose of the corm or seeds, in powder, 
gr. ij to gr. viij ; the seeds are preferred. The liquid pre- 
parations, which are more generally used than the powder, 
are : The vinegar (acetum) (two troyounces of the root to 
diluted acetic acid Oij), dose, 30 drops to fSij ; wine of the 
root (twelve troyounces to sherry wine Oij), dose, rrgx to 
f5j ; wine of the seed (four troyounces to wine Oij), dose, 
f5i-ij ; tincture (four troyounces of the seed to diluted alcohol 
Oij) ; dose, f5ss to f5\j. An acetic extract of the root is also 
employed — dose, gr. i-ij ; and a fluid extract of the seed, and 
also of the root — doses, 4 to 12 drops. 



ERIGERON — FLEABANE. 

Three varieties of Erigeron are officinal : E. Canadense, 
or Canada Fleabane, E. heterophyllum, or Various-leaved 
Fleabane, and E. Philadelphicum, or Philadelphia Flea- 
bane [Nat. Ord. Asteraceae). They are herbaceous indige- 
nous plants, two or three feet high, with ovate or lanceo- 
late, toothed leaves, and white, blue, or purple flowers. 
Tne whole herb is officinal. Canada Fleabane has an 
agreeable odor, and a bitter, acrid, somewhat astringent 
taste. It contains bitter extractive, tannic and gallic acids, 
and volatile oil ; and is diuretic, tonic, and astringent. The 
oil of Canada Fleabane possesses haemostatic properties, 
and has been used in hemorrhagic dysentery and uterine 
hemorrhage — dose 5 to 10 drops. Various-leaved and Phila- 
delphia Fleabane, popularly known as scabious, have an aro- 
matic odor, and a slightly bitterish taste. Their most 
striking medicinal action is diuretic, and they have long 
been favorite remedies in dropsical and nephritic affections. 
An infusion or decoction, to the amount of a pint (contain- 
ing a troy ounce of the herb), may be taken daily. 



INDIAN HEMP. 



231 



APOCYNUM CANNABINTJM — INDIAN HEMP. 

This is an indigenous herbaceous plant (Nat Ord. Apo- 
cynaceae), growing to the height of two or three feet, with 

Fig. 19. 




oblong-ovate leaves, and small, greenish, campanulate 
flowers. The root is the officinal portion ; it is of a yel- 
lowish-brown color when young, and of a dark-chestnut 
when old, has a strong odor, and a nauseous acrid, bitter 
taste. The fresh root, when wounded, pours out a milky 
juice ; it yields its virtues to water and alcohol, and con- 



232 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



tains tannic and gallic acids, gum, resin, a bitter principle, 
&c, and a peculiar active principle termed apocynin. 

Effects and Uses. — Indian Hemp (which is not to be con- 
founded with Cannabis Indica, p. 61), is an emeto-cathar- 
tic, diuretic, diaphoretic, and sedative. It is chiefly em- 
ployed in the treatment of dropsy, in the form of decoction 
(half a troy ounce to water Ojss, boiled to Oj), of which 
f 5i-ij may be taken two or three times a day. 



TARAXACUM — DANDELION. 

Taraxacum Dens-leonis, or Dandelion (Nat. Ord. Cicho- 
racese), is a small herbaceous, perennial plant, common to 
most parts of the world, and found abundantly through- 
out the United States. It has a fusiform root, which sends 
up numerous long, sinuated, bright-green leaves, and 
flower-stems, about six inches high, bearing golden-yellow 
flowers. The root is the oflicinal portion, and should be 
gathered in the autumn. In the fresh state, it is several inches 



Fig. 20. 




long, branched, fleshy, of a light-brown color externally, 
whitish within, and abounds in a milky juice; the fresh 
root is preferable for use. When dried, it is shrunken 
wrinkled, and brittle. 



It is without smell, but has a bitter 



CARROT SEED. 



233 



taste. Boiling water extracts its virtues, which depend on 
a peculiar bitter crystallizable principle, termed taraxacin, 
soluble in boiling water, alcohol, and ether. 

Effects and Uses.— Taraxacum is diuretic and slightly 
aperient, with some tonic action, and a special determina- 
tion to the liver. It is a valuable remedy in hepatic drop- 
sies, and is also employed in dyspepsia, accompanied by 
derangement of the liver. It is given in the form of infu- 
sion (two troyounces to boiling water Oj),— dose f gij, three 
times a day ; extract (an inspissated juice, which should not 
be kept above a year),— dose, 3j to 5j three times a day; 
and fluid extract,— dose, fSHj, three times a da ^' 



JUNIPEKUS — JUNIPER. 



The fruit, or berries, of Juniperus communis (Nat Ord. 
Pinacese), an evergreen European shrub, naturalized in the 
United States, are used as adjuvants to the more active 
diuretics. When dried, they are about the size of a pea, 
and of a blackish-purple color; they are given in infusion 
(a troyounce to boiling water Oj). Their virtues depend 
on a volatile oil (Oleum Juniperi), the dose of which is five 
to fifteen drops, two or three times a day. The compound 
spirit of Juniper (a tincture of the oil, containing also the 
oils of carraway and fennel), is a pleasant addition to stimu- 
lating diuretic infusions, — dose, f5i-ij- 



CAROTA — CARROT SEED. 



Daucus Carota, or Wild Carrot (Nat. Ord. Apiacese),is 
a very common indigenous plant, which is found also wild 
in Europe. It has a biennial spindle-shaped root, an erect 
branching stem two or three feet high, tripinnate leaves 
with narrow, pointed leaflets, and small white flowers, ar- 
ranged in umbels. The erupt or seeds, which are the offi- 



234 MATERIA MEDICA. 

cinal portion, are light, of a brownish color, an oval shape, 
convex and bristly on one side, and flat on the other. 
They have an aromatic odor, a warm, pungent, bitterish 
taste, and contain a volatile oil, on which their virtues de- 
pend. 

Effects and Uses. — Carrot-seeds are aromatic and diuretic, 
and are a good deal employed in dropsical and nephritic 
affections, agreeing well with the stomach, from their aro- 
matic oil. The infusion is a popular remedy for the relief 
of strangury from blisters. Dose, 5ss to 5j? or an infusion 
(half a troyounce to water Oj), ad libitum. 

The root of this plant possesses the same properties as 
the seeds. The root of the cultivated plant, the well- 
known garden carrot, is employed as an application to 
sloughing ulcers. 



CANTHARIS — SPANISH FLIES. 

The properties, &c, of cantharides will be noticed fully 
under the head of Irritants (subdivision Episjpastics). Ta- 
ken internally, they sometimes prove diuretic, and gene- 
rally excite irritation of the genito-urinary passages, as 
strangury, priapism, &c. ; and in overdoses, act as an acro- 
narcotic poison. Thpy are employed in atonic dropsies, 
incontinence of urinf .menorrhcea, seminal weakness, im- 
potence, &c. Dose, ; r. ;i-ij, twice a day, in pill. They 
are most commonly a ninistered in tincture (a troyounce 
to diluted alcohol Oij^-^dose, gtt. x, or more, three or four 
times a day, till strangury supervenes. 

The following medicines, though less frequently resorted 
to than the foregoing, possess very decided diuretic proper- 
ties, and may be employed with advantage in the treat- 
ment of dropsical and nephritic affections : 

The root of Hydrastis Canadensis, or Yellow Eoot 
(Nat. Ord. Banunculacege), a small indigenous plant, which 



BLENNORRHETICS. 235 

contains the alkaloid berberina (previously noticed), and 
another alkaloid hydrastia, is a very efficacious diuretic in 
promoting the discharge of calculi from the kidneys. 

The root of Delphinum Consolida, or Larkspur (Nat. 
Ord. Panunculacese), a European plant, cultivated in our 
gardens, and to some extent naturalized. 

The fresh tops (and also the seeds) of Cytisus Scopa- 
ritts, or Broom (Nat Ord. Fabaceae), a European shrub, 
cultivated in our gardens. 

The root of Petroselinum Sativum, or Parsley (Nat 
Ord. Apiacese), a European plant, cultivated in our vege- 
table gardens, for its leaves. 

The root of Cochlearia Armoracia, or Horseradish 
(Nat Ord. Brassicacese), a European plant, cultivated here 
for its root, which is used as a condiment. 



ORDER V. — BLENNORRHETICS. 

Blennorrhetics (from j3Aewa y mucus, and pew, I flow), are 
medicines which promote the secretion of the mucous 
membranes. They are employed therapeutically in mor- 
bid conditions of these membranes, with a view to the re- 
storation of healthy action, in cases of deficient, abnormal, 
or excessive secretion. 

When administered with the o 3ct of stimulating the 
secretion of mucus from the brono ial or laryngeal mem- 
brane, this class of agents is te led expectorants. They 
are prescribed in the subacute an^. chronic forms of bron- 
chitis and laryngitis, and in the declining stages of the 
acute forms of these affections and pneumonia. In the 
early or inflammatory stages of acute bronchitis and laryn- 
gitis, the stimulating expectorants are inadmissible, until 
nauseants and depletion have been resorted to. 

The blennorrhetics are less employed in gastro-enteric 
affections than in those of other mucous membranes, ow- 
ing to their tendency to produce catharsis. Several of 



236 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



the oleoresins are, however, used with advantage in cer- 
tain forms of chronic diarrhoea, and the oil of turpentine 
is highly esteemed in the treatment of the diarrhoea of ty- 
phoid fever. 

The oleoresinous articles of this group are extensively 
employed in diseases of the urino-genital mucous mem- 
branes, — gonorrhoea, gleet, leucorrhoea, incontinence of 
urine, cystitis, &c. 

The following are the articles chiefly resorted to for their 
influence on the mucous membranes : 



SENEGA — SENEKA. 

Polygala Senega, or Seneka Snakeroot (Nat Ord. Poly- 
galacese), is a small indigenous plant, found in all parts of 

Fig. 21. 




the United States, but most abundantly in the South and 
"West. It has a perennial, branching root, several erect 



SENEKA. 237 

annual stems, about a foot in height, alternate lanceolate 
leaves, and small, whitish flowers, arranged in a terminal 
spike. The root is the officinal portion. It occurs in the 
shops in twisted pieces, varying in thickness from the size 
of a quill to that of the little finger, attached to a knotty 
head, and marked with a ridge along their whole length, 
and numerous annual protuberances. The cortical portion 
is hard, resinous, of a yellowish-brown color, and contains 
the active qualities of the root. The central ligneous portion 
is white and inert. The. odor of seneka is peculiar and 
disagreeable, but faint in the dried root; the taste is at 
first mucilaginous and sweetish, but afterwards becomes 
acrid and very irritating. 

The virtues of seneka are extracted by cold and hot 
water and alcohol. It contains a peculiar acrid acid prin- 
ciple called polygalic acid, on which its activity chiefly de- 
pends. 

Effects and Uses. — Seneka, in small doses, is an active 
excitant of the mucous membranes and secretions gene- 
rally, and in large doses proves emetic and cathartic. It is 
chiefly prescribed as a stimulating expectorant in chronic 
and subacute bronchial affections, and in the latter stages 
of acute bronchitis, pneumonia, &c. As an ingredient in 
the compound syrup of squill, it is much employed in the 
treatment of croup, but, except in some such combination 
with tartar emetic or other emetic-nauseant, it is scarcely 
admissible in the early stages of this disease. Seneka is 
also thought to possess emmenagogue properties, and is 
highly extolled by many practitioners in the treatment of 
amenorrhoea. It has been occasionally used as a diuretic 
in dropsies, and, in emeto-cathartic doses, has been found 
useful in rheumatism. 

Administration. — Dose, in powder, gr. x to Sj ; but it is 
chiefly given in decoction (a troyounce boiled for fifteen 
minutes in water enough to make the decoction measure 
Oj), dose fgij, three or four times a day. An alcoholic ex- 



238 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



tract is given in the dose of from one to three grains ; and 
a syrup is also used, in the dose of £5i-ij. 



CIMICIFUGA — BLACK SNAKEROOT. 



Cimicifuga racemosa, Black Snakeroot, or Cohosh (Nat. 
Ord. Ranunculacese), is a very common indigenous peren- 

Fig. 22. 




nial plant, growing to the height of from four to eight 
feet, with ternate leaves, oblong-ovate, incised, and toothed 



GARLIC. 239 

leaflets, and small, white flowers disposed in a long raceme. 
The root is the part employed. It consists of a rugged, 
blackish-brown candex, from a third of an inch to an inch 
in thickness, often several inches in length, furnished with 
numerous slender radicles. Internally, its color is whitish; 
it has a peculiar, faint, disagreeable odor, and a bitter, 
somewhat astringent taste. It imparts its virtues to boil- 
ing water, and contains gum, starch, resin, tannic and 
gallic acids, salts, and a portion of volatile oil. 

Effects and Uses. — The effects of cimicifuga are not very 
accurately known, but it is undoubtedly an active stimu- 
lant of the secretions, particularly those of the mucous 
membranes, skin, and kidneys, with, probably, in large 
doses, a sedative and antispasmodic action on the nervous 
system. It has been employed with great advantage as an 
expectorant in chronic bronchial affections, and even 
phthisis pulmonalis, and has been also used as a diapho- 
retic in rheumatism, and as a diuretic in dropsies. As an 
antispasmodic in chorea, it enjoys a high reputation, and 
it is also recommended in the spasmodic forms of hysteria, 
particularly when connected with amenorrhea. A satu- 
rated alcoholic solution has been used, with good effect, as 
an application to the eyelids in ophthalmia. 

Administration. — Dose, in powder, 9j to 5j ; a decoction and 
acetous tincture (though not officinal) are employed. Of the 
fluid extract, the dose is f5ss-j. 



ALLIUM — GARLIC. 

Allium sativum [Nat. Ord. Liliaceae), is a small, peren- 
nial, bulbous plant, which grows wild in the south of 
Europe, and is cultivated in all parts of the world. The 
bulb is the portion used. As found in the shops, it is 
somewhat spherical in form, about an inch in diameter, 
with a portion of the stem attached, covered with a white, 
membranous envelope, and consists of five or six smaller 



240 MATERIA MEDICA. 

bulbs, of a curved, oblong shape, called cloves of garlic. 
They have a strong, irritating, characteristic odor, and a 
bitter, acrid taste. Water, alcohol, and vinegar extract 
their virtues, which depend on an essential oil, which is of 
a yellow color, very volatile and irritating. 

Effects and Uses. — Garlic is a local irritant and rubefa- 
cient, and, taken internally, quickens the circulation and 
stimulates the secretions generally. It is a good deal em- 
ployed as an expectorant in chronic and subacute catarrhal 
affections, particularly in infantile cases, and, occasionally, 
as a stomachic in flatulence, and as a diuretic in atonic 
dropsies. Externally, it is used as a revulsive rubefacient 
to the feet, as a resolvent of indolent tumors, and as a lini- 
ment in infantile convulsions. 

Administration. — A clove may be swallowed entire, or 
cut into small pieces. Dose of the fresh bulbs, 5i-ij, in pill; 
of the juice, f5ss, mixed with sugar ; of the syrup (made 
with diluted acetic acid and sugar), f5j, for children. 



SCILLA — SQUILL. 

Squill, already noticed among diuretics, is one of the 
most powerful and valuable stimulating expectorants in the 
Materia Medica. (For properties, doses, preparations, &c, 
see p. 226.) 



TEREBINTHINA — TURPENTINE. 

The term turpentine is applied to liquid or concrete vege- 
table juices, consisting of resin combined with a peculiar 
essential oil, called oil of turpentine. Two kinds of turpen- 
tine are recognized by the U. S. Pharmacopoeia : 1. The 
common American or white turpentine, which is procured 
chiefly from Pinus palustris [Nat. Ord. Pinaceae), a large 
indigenous evergreen tree of our Southern States, where 



TURPENTINE. 241 

it is called Long-leaved Pine, Yellow Pine, and Pitch Pine, 
and in part also from Pinus Tseda, found in Virginia, and 
other species of Pinus. 2. Canada turpentine, kept in the 
shops, under the name of Canada balsam or balsam of fir, 
the product of Abies balsamea, the American Silver Fir, 
or Balm of Gilead Tree (Nat, Ord. Pinacese), a handsome 
tree about 40 feet in height, inhabiting the northern por- 
tions of North America. Many other varieties of turpen- 
tine are known in commerce, as Bordeaux turpentine, Venice 
turpentine, Chian turpentine, &c. 

White turpentine comes from North Carolina and other 
Southern States, and. is collected from excavations made in 
the trunks of trees, into which the turpentine runs in the 
mild weather. It is yellowish- white, and somewhat trans- 
lucent, semi-fluid in summer, firm and hard in winter, 
but becoming permanently hard by exposure to the air, 
and has a peculiar aromatic odor, and a warm, pungent, 
bitterish taste. Canada turpentine comes from Canada and 
Maine. It is procured by breaking the vesicles, which are 
found between the bark and wood of the trees, and collect- 
ing the liquid contents in a bottle. When fresh, it has 
the consistence of honey, but gradually solidifies by age. 
It is yellow, transparent, tenacious, of a peculiar, pleasant 
terebinthinate odor, and a slightly bitter, acrid taste. 

Chemical Constituents. — The turpentines yield, by distilla- 
tion, a volatile oil, known as oil of turpentine, and leave a 
residue consisting exclusively of resin. Both the oil and 
resin are officinal. The turpentines are inflammable, nearly 
insoluble in water, but almost wholly soluble in alcohol 
and ether. 

Physiological Effects. — The local operation of the terebin- 
thinates is irritant. When applied to the skin, they pro- 
duce a rubefacient effect, and when swallowed, in large 
doses, promote the peristaltic motion of the intestines. 
Taken internally, in small doses, they are absorbed, and 
prove excitant to the vascular system and the secretions 
generally, especially the mucous membranes; they com- 

16 



242 MATERIA MEDICA. 

municate a violet odor to the urine. The activity of the 
terebinthinates depends on their volatile oil. 

Medicinal Uses. — Turpentine is employed chiefly in dis- 
eases of the various mucous membranes, as gonorrhoea, 
gleet, leucorrhoea, cystorrhcea, chronic bronchitis, and 
chronic mucous diarrhoea. It is also used in rheumatic 
complaints ; and, in cathartic doses, in cases of ascarides, 
constipation, and colic. 

Administration. — Dose, as a blennorrhetic, 3j to 5j, in pill, 
emulsion, or electuary ; as an anthelmintic or cathartic, half a 
troyounce to an ounce, in emulsion. The white turpentine 
is generally used in this country. 

Oleum Terebinthim: {Oil of Turpentine), commonly 
called Spirit of Turpentine, is the active principle of turpen- 
tine, obtained by distillation. It has already been noticed 
under the head of aromatic stimulants (p. 157). Its effects 
and medicinal uses are the same as those of turpentine, for 
which it is usually substituted in practice. Locally, it acts 
as a rubefacient. When swallowed in large doses, as fSi-ij, 
it commonly passes off by the bowels; and, taken in small 
doses, it is absorbed, and stimulates the circulation and the 
secretions of the mucous membranes, kidneys, and skin. 
It often produces strangury and considerable irritation of 
the urino-genital passages. In large doses, it is employed 
as an anthelmintic and cathartic, and is much used as a 
clyster for the relief of tympanitis. In small doses, it is 
greatly prescribed in chronic discharges from the various 
mucous membranes; in the latter stages of typhoid fever 
as a combined stimulant and blennorrhetic ; as a diapho- 
retic in rheumatism and neuralgia ; in infantile diabetes, 
nephritic disorders, dropsy, &c. As a rubefacient, it is a 
valuable counter-irritant in numerous diseases. 

Dose, gtt. v-xxx, repeated, as a blennorrhetic stimulant; 
fgss-fSj, as a cathartic enema, or anthelmintic, in emulsion. 
Linimentum terebinthinm (oil of turpentine Oss, melted with 



RESIN. 243 

resin cerate, twelve troyounces), is used as an application 
to burns and scalds. 

Pix Liquida (Tar), is an impure turpentine, procured 
by burning, from the wood of Pinus palustris, and other 
species of Pinus. It is a brownish-black, viscid, semi- 
liquid substance, of a peculiar empyreumatic odor, and a 
bitterish, resinous, somewhat acid taste — soluble in alco- 
hol, ether, and the volatile and fixed oils. It consists of 
resin, united with acetic acid, oil of turpentine, and vari- 
ous volatile, empyreumatic products. By distillation, it 
yields pyroligneous acid and oil of tar — the residuum being 
pitch. The oil of tar contains, besides oil of turpentine, 
creasote (see p. 140), and other principles. 

Effects and Uses. — Tar resembles the turpentines in its 
effects, and is employed in chronic catarrhal affections and 
other diseases of the mucous membranes. Its vapor has 
been employed in bronchitis ; and, externally, it is an ex- 
cellent application to tinea capitis, psoriasis, and other 
cutaneous affections. Dose, 5ss to 5j> several times a day, 
in pill or electuary ; or tar water — aqua picis liquids — (made 
by digesting tar Oj with water Oiv), may be taken in the 
quantity of Oi-ij, daily. The ointment (unguentum picis 
liquidce), is made by adding tar to melted suet. 

Resina (Resin), commonly called rosin, is the residuum 
after the distillation of the oil from white turpentine. It 
is a yellowish-brown, semi-transparent, solid, brittle sub- 
stance, with a slight terebinthinate odor and taste — insolu- 
ble in water, soluble in ether, alcohol, and the essential 
oils, readily uniting by fusion with wax and the fixed oils, 
and forming soluble soaps with alkalies. When agitated 
with water, in a state of fusion, it becomes opaque and 
white. It is not used internally, but is extensively employed 
in the formation of plasters and ointments, to which it com- 
municates great adhesiveness and slightly stimulant pro- 
perties. 



244 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Ceratum Resince [Resin Cerate), commonly called basilicon 
ointment, is made by melting resin (5 parts), lard (8 parts), 
and yellow wax (2 parts), together : it is an excellent mild 
stimulant application to burns, blistered surfaces, &c. 
Compound Resin Cerate, made by melting resin, suet, yel- 
low wax, turpentine, and flaxseed oil together, is a good 
stimulant cerate, very popular under the name of Deshler's 
Salve. Emjpldstrum Resinaz {Resin Plaster), made by melt- 
ing one part of resin with six parts of lead plaster, is the 
well-known adhesive plaster, used for retaining the edges of 
wounds in contact, &c. 



COPAIBA. 

Copaiba is the juice of several species of Copaifera (Nat. 
Ord. Amyridacese), large trees peculiar to South America. 
C. officinalis has been thought to be a principal source of 
copaiba, but it yields little of that now in use, and most of 
the copaiba of commerce is probably derived from C. 
multijuga, which grows in the province of Para, in Brazil. 
The juice is obtained from incisions in the stems of the 
trees : as it first exudes, it is clear, colorless, and very thin, 
but it soon acquires a thicker consistence, and a yellowish 
hue. As found in the shops, it is a clear, transparent 
liquid, of the consistence of olive oil, of a pale-yellow color, 
a peculiar agreeable smell, and a pungent, nauseous, acrid 
taste. By exposure to the air it acquires a deeper color, 
and denser consistence. 

Copaiba is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, 
ether, and the volatile and fixed oils; with alkalies and al- 
kaline earths, it forms a soap. It is, chemically, an oleo- 
resin, with a minute portion of acetic acid ; the volatile oil 
is officinal; the resin possesses acid properties, and is called 
copaivic acid. By exposure to the air, copaiba gradually 
becomes darker and thicker, and finally hard and brittle, 
owing to the volatilization and oxidation of its oil. Co- 



CUBEB. 245 

paiba was formerly called a balsam, but this title is incor- 
rect, as it contains no benzoic or cinnamic acid. 

Effects and Uses. — The effects of copaiba are very analo- 
gous to those of the terebinthinates. In large doses, it 
proves cathartic, and occasionally emetic, and, in small 
doses, it is absorbed, communicating its peculiar odor to 
the secretions and exhalations, and stimulating the secre- 
tions from the mucous membranes and kidneys ; it is also 
a gentle excitant to the circulatory system. It is employed 
in diseases of the mucous membranes, particularly those 
of a chronic character, as chronic bronchitis, chronic diar- 
rhoea, leucorrhcea, gonorrhoea, gleet, catarrh, and irritation 
of the bladder, &c. As a remedy in gonorrhoea, it has 
long enjoyed great popularity, and is given in all stages of 
the disorder, though in very inflammatory cases it occa- 
sionally produces unpleasant symptoms. 

Administration. — Dose, gtt. xx to f3j, three times a day, 
in emulsion, with some aromatic water, or in pills, made 
with magnesia (pills of copaiba), or inclosed in capsules of 
gelatin. It is also administered as a clyster, in emulsion. 
Cubeb is frequently prescribed with copaiba, in the treat- 
ment of gonorrhoea. 

Oleum Copaiba (Oil of Copaiba), obtained by distilla- 
tion from the oleoresin, is usually colorless, with the odor 
and taste of copaiba, and produces the same effects on the 
system. Dose, gtt. x-xv, in emulsion, or dropped on sugar. 



CUBEBA — CUBEB. 

Cubeb is the berries of Piper Cubeba (Nat. Ord. Pipe- 
racese), a climbing, perennial plant of Java and other parts 
of the East Indies. The berries are gathered for use when 
unripe, and are dried. They are about the size of a small 
pea, of a blackish or grayish-brown color, a reticulated 
surface, and furnished with a stalk two or three inches 
long. The shell is hard, and contains a blackish seed, 



246 MATERIA MEDICA. 

which is white and oily within. The odor of cubeb is aro- 
matic ; the taste warm, acrid, and camphoraceous. The 
berries deteriorate by age, most rapidly in powder, owing 
to the escape of their volatile oil. Their most important 
constituents are a volatile oil (which is officinal), a prin- 
ciple resembling piperin, called cubebin, and resinous mat- 
ter. The oil is the most active ingredient, but the resin 
and cubebin contribute also to the medicinal virtues of the 
drug. 

Effects and Uses. — In large doses, cubeb, like the other 
oleoresins, produces more or less gastro-enteric distur- 
bance. In small doses, it is absorbed, and acts as a gentle 
excitant to the vascular system, with a very decided stimu- 
lant action on the mucous surfaces, particularly those of 
the urino-genital apparatus ; it also frequently proves diu- 
retic. It is chiefly used in the treatment of gonorrhoea, 
and should be given in the early stage of the disease. In 
other mucous discharges, as chronic catarrh with profuse 
secretion, leucorrhoea, gleet, &c, cubeb has been also em- 
ployed with advantage. 

Administration. — Dose of the powder, 5i-iij> three times 
a day, in gonorrhoea ; in chronic mucous disorders, smaller 
doses are given. The oil is often employed, but it does 
not possess the full virtues of cubeb — dose, gtt. x-xij, to 
be repeated and gradually increased ; it may be taken in 
emulsion, or dropped on sugar, or made into gelatinous 
capsules with oil of copaiba. The oleoresin contains both 
the volatile oil and resin, with a portion of cubebin, and 
is an excellent preparation — dose, ngv-xxx, suspended in 
water; of the tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol 
Oij), the dose is f5i-ij, three times a day. Troches of cu- 
beb are made with the oleoresin, oil of sassafras, liquorice, 
gum arabic, sugar, and syrup of tolu. 



PAREIRA BRAVA. 247 



MATICO. 

This name is given to the leaves of Artanthe elongata 
(Nat. Ord. Piperacese), a shrub of Peru. They are two or 
three inches long, by about an inch in breadth, oval-lan- 
ceolate and acuminate in shape, crenate, reticulate, bright- 
green on the upper surface, paler beneath, of a pleasant 
aromatic odor, and a strong spicy taste. They contain 
chlorophyll, resin, volatile oil, and a peculiar bitter prin- 
ciple, soluble in water and alcohol, termed maticin. 

Effects and Uses. — Matico is a pleasant aromatic tonic, 
with a special determination to the mucous membranes. 
It is used as an alterative stimulant in the entire circle of 
diseased mucous membranes, especially those of the uri- 
nary passages. It is also used internally as a hemostatic, 
and locally as a styptic. Dose, of the powder, 5ss-j, three 
times a day. An infusion (not officinal) may be made by 
dissolving a troyounce in a pint of boiling water — dose, 
a wineglassful. 



PAREIRA — PAREIRA BRAVA. 

Pareira Brava is a root, brought from Brazil, which is 
generally supposed to be derived from Cissampelos Pareira 
(Nat. Ord. Menispermacese), a climbing plant of the "West 
Indies and South America. It comes to us in wrinkled, 
twisted, or forked, cylindrical pieces, of variable thickness 
and length, covered with a thin, grayish-brown bark. The 
interior is ligneous, yellowish, porous, inodorous, and of a 
sweetish, nauseous, bitter taste. It imparts its virtues to 
water, and contains a bitter alkaline principle, termed cis- 
sampelina, resin, fecula, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — Pareira Brava is chiefly employed in 
chronic diseases of the urinary passages, particularly chro- 
nic inflammation or irritation of the bladder, with morbid 



248 MATERIA MEDICA. 

secretion. It is said to be also tonic, aperient, and diu- 
retic. Dose, in substance, 5ss to 5j. But it is more con- 
veniently given in infusion (a troy ounce to boiling water 
Oj), dose, f Si— ij . 



BUCHTJ. 

This name is given to the leaves of Barosma crenata 
and other species of Barosma [Nat. Ord. Rutaceee), shrubby 
plants, growing at the Cape of Good Hope. As found in 
the shops, buchu leaves are from three-quarters of an inch 
to an inch and a half long, from three to five lines broad, 
elliptical, lanceolate-ovate or obovate, sometimes pointed, 
sometimes blunt, notched and glandular at the edges, and 
of a green color, paler on the under surface. Three varie- 
ties are known, viz. : short or round buchu (derived from B. 
crenata), medium, sized (from B. crenulata), and long buchu 
(from B. serratifolia). They have a strong, aromatic odor, 
and a bitterish taste, like that of mint. Water and alco- 
hol extract their virtues, which depend on a volatile oil and 
extractive. 

Effects and Uses. — Buchu is a gentle stimulant to the se- 
cretions generally, particularly to the kidneys and urinary 
mucous membranes ; it may be made to act also as a dia- 
phoretic. It is employed in chronic catarrh of the ure- 
thra and bladder, nephritic complaints, retention or incon- 
tinence of urine — as a diuretic, in dropsies — and as a dia- 
phoretic in rheumatic and cutaneous complaints. Dose, 
of the powder, gr. xx-xxx ; of the infusion (a troy ounce to 
boiling water Oj), f5i-ij. A fluid extract is officinal — dose, 
f5ss. 



MYRRH A — MYRRH. 



Myrrh is the concrete juice of Balsamodendron Myrrha 
(Nat. Ord. Amyridacese), a small tree of Arabia Felix ; the 



BENZOIN. 249 

juice exudes spontaneously and concretes upon the bark. 
It is imported from the East Indies, and occurs in small, 
semi-transparent, reddish-yellow fragments or tears — some- 
times agglutinated together in larger masses — of irregular 
shape and size, an agreeable, peculiar odor, and a bitter, 
aromatic taste. It is brittle and pulverizable, has a resi- 
nous fracture, and makes a light-yellowish powder. Infe- 
rior kinds of myrrh are darker and less translucent and 
odorous. Myrrh is a gum-resin, containing also a little vo- 
latile oil. It forms with water an emulsion, and is soluble 
in alcohol and ether. 

Effects and Uses. — Myrrh is a stimulant expectorant and 
emmenagogue, with some tonic effects. It is prescribed 
in chronic catarrhal and ashmatic affections, in which a 
combined corroborant and expectorant effect is desirable ; 
and also in chlorosis, amenorrhea, &c. Chalybeates and 
aloes are frequently united with it in uterine affections. 
Locally, it is a good application to spongy gums, aphthous 
sore mouth, &c. 

Administration. — Dose, gr. x to 5ss, in powder or pill, or 
suspended in water, as in Mistura Ferri Composita (see p. 
112). The tincture (three troyounces to alcohol Oij), is 
chiefly employed externally — dose, internally, f5ss to foj. 
Pills of Aloes and Myrrh, Compound Galbanum Pills, and 
Compound Iron Pills, are officinal emmenagogue prepara- 
tions of myrrh. 



BENZOINUM — BENZOIN. 

Benzoin is the concbete juice of Styrax Benzoin, or 
Benjamin Tree (Nat. Ord. Styraceee), a tall tree of Suma- 
tra, Java, Borneo, and Siam. It is obtained by incisions 
in the bark, from which it readily exudes, afterwards har- 
dening by exposure to the sun and air. Two kinds are 
known, the most valuable consisting chiefly of whitish 
tears, united by a reddish-brown connecting medium, and 



250 MATERIA MEDICA. 

called benzbe amygdaloides, the other of brown or blackish 
lumps, without tears, known as benzbe in sortis (benzoin in 
sorts). Benzoin is volatile, has a fragrant odor, a feeble, 
slightly aromatic taste, is soluble in alcohol and ether, and 
is precipitated from its alcoholic solution by water. Its 
chief constituents are resin and benzoic acid, which places 
it among the balsams ; it contains also a trace of extrac- 
tive and of volatile oil ; and sometimes cinnamic acid. 

Effects and Uses. — Benzoin is a topical irritant, and, after 
absorption, stimulates the mucous passages, especially the 
aerian membranes. It resembles myrrh in its effects, but 
is more acrid and stimulating, and less tonic. It is adapted 
to chronic bronchial affections, but is seldom employed 
alone. As a fumigation in chronic laryngitis, it has been 
recommended by Trousseau and Pidoux. Dose, gr. x to 
5ss. The compound tincture (containing also storax, balsam 
of Tolu, and aloes), is used as a stimulating expectorant — 
dose, f'5ss to f5\j. Ointment of benzoin is made by heating 
together one part of benzoin and sixteen parts of lard. As 
benzoin has the property of obviating the rancidity to 
which lard is liable, this is a very useful vehicle for medi- 
cated ointments. 

Acidum Benzoicum [Benzoic Acid), is obtained from ben- 
zoin by sublimation, or by the action of alkalies. It occurs 
in white, soft, feathery crystals, of a silky lustre, and not 
pulverulent. It has more or less of the odor of the balsam, 
a warm, acrid, and acidulous taste, is inflammable, spa- 
ringly soluble in cold water, rather soluble in boiling 
water, but perfectly soluble in alcohol, alkaline solutions, 
and fixed oils. It is a constituent of the balsams. 

Effects and Uses. — Benzoic acid is a local irritant, acting 
on the general system as a stimulant, with a particular di- 
rection to the mucous surfaces, especially the aerian. 
Dose, gr. x. In its passage through the system, it abstracts 
the elements of gelatine-sugar, and passes out with the 



BALSAM OF TOLU. 251 

urine in the form of hippuric acid. It is little employed 
in medicine, except as an ingredient in Paregoric Elixir. 



BALSAMUM PERUVIANUM — BALSAM OF PERU. 

Balsam of Peru is the juice of Myrospermum Perui- 
ferum (Nat. Ord. Legunrinosse), a tree of Central America. 
It is obtained from incisions in the bark, and is collected 
on rags inserted in the openings, which are afterwards 
boiled in water, when the balsam settles at the bottom, and 
the water is poured off. A white balsam, obtained from the 
fruit of this tree by expression, and a tincture of the fruit 
in rum, are also known in Central America. Balsam of 
Peru has the consistence of honey, a dark, reddish-brown 
color, a pleasant smell, a warm, acrid taste, and is soluble 
in alcohol, and partially in boiling water. It is .heavier 
than water. Its constituents are resin, essential oil, and cin- 
namic acid. 

Effects and Uses. — It is a stimulating blennorrhetic and 
tonic, occasionally employed in chronic catarrhs, asthma, 
gonorrhoea, leucorrhcea, &c, but not much used in this 
country. Externally, it is applied to indolent ulcers. Dose, 
f5ss, in emulsion. 



BALSAMUM TOLUTANUM — BALSAM OF TOLU. 

Balsam of Tolu is the juice of Myrospermum Tolui- 
ferum (Nat Ord. Leguminosse), a tree of the neighborhood 
of Carthagena. It is procured from incisions in the trunk 
of the tree, and concretes in the vessels in which it is re- 
ceived. It has a soft, tenacious consistence, varying with 
the temperature, and bv age becomes hard and resin-like. 
It is shining, translucent, of a reddish-brown color, a fra- 
grant odor, and a warm, sweetish, pungent taste. It is in- 
flammable, entirely soluble in alcohol and essential oils, 



252 MATERIA MEDICA. 

and, like the other balsams, yields its acid to boiling water. 
Its ingredients are resin, volatile oil, and cinnamic acid. 

Effects and Uses. — It is a stimulant blennorrhetic and 
tonic, useful in chronic catarrhal affections, and, from its 
agreeable flavor, much employed as an ingredient of cough 
mixtures. The vapor of an ethereal solution of this balsam 
is inhaled with advantage for the relief of cough. Dose, 
gr. x-xxx, in emulsion, frequently repeated. A syrup is 
used as a vehicle for other medicines, and the tincture (three 
troy ounces to alcohol Oij) is added to cough mixtures. 
Dose, f5i-ij. It is an ingredient of the compound tincture of 
benzoin. 

The following gum-resins, previously noticed among an- 
tispasmodics, are employed as expectorants : 
Assafcetida (Assafetida). (See p. 76.) 
Ammoniacum (Ammoniac). (See p. 78.) 
Galbanum. (See p. 78.) 



ORDER VI. — EMMENAGOGUES. 

Emmenagogues (from ififnjvta 9 the catamenia, and aytoyoq^ 
exciting) are medicines which promote the menstrual dis- 
charge. This discharge may be suppressed from various 
causes, and hence very opposite classes of remedies are 
employed to restore it. Thus, when amenorrhoea depends 
on ancemia, the preparations of iron are the most effec- 
tual emmenagogues; on the other hand, when it occurs in 
connection with plethora, bloodletting and evacuants are 
resorted to. There are probably no articles which exert 
any specific influence upon the catamenia, as the discharge 
from the uterus is not one of the excretions through which 
medicinal agents pass out of the system. Medicines, 
however, which excite the pelvic circulation, and stimu- 
late the organs in the neighborhood of the uterus, have a 



SAVINE. 253 

tendency to increase or excite the menstrual discharge. 
They are — 

1. The drastic cathartics, as Aloes (p. 205), Black Hel- 
lebore (p. 213), &c. 

2. Many of the stimulating diuretics, particularly Can- 
tharis (p. 234). 

3. Some of the blennorrhetics, particularly Seneka (p. 
236). 

4. Guaiacum (p. 222), usually classed with the diapho- 
retics. 

Indirectly, the menstrual discharge is frequently pro- 
moted by — 

1. Chalybeates, which are the best emmenagogues in 
chlorotic and anaemic cases. 

2. Mercurials, which prove emmenagogue from their in- 
fluence in exciting the secretions generally. 

The following articles are employed exclusively as em- 
menagogues : 



SABINA — SAVINE. 

Savine is the tops of Juniperus Sabina (Nat. Ord. Pina- 
ceee), a small, evergreen, bushy shrub of the south of Eu- 
rope. They resemble closely the tops of Juniperus Virgi- 
niana, the indigenous Bed Cedar, which are sometimes 
substituted for savine in the shops. The latter has a 
greenish color, a strong, peculiar, heavy odor, and a bitter, 
nauseous resinous taste. Its virtues depend on a volatile 
oil, which is officinal. 

Physiological Effects. — Savine is a local irritant. Taken 
internally, in medicinal doses, it stimulates the circulation 
and secretions, with a very decided action on the uterus. 
In large doses, it will cause vomiting, purging, and other 
symptoms of gastro-intestinal inflammation ; and fatal re- 
sults have sometimes occurred from its use to provoke pre- 
mature labor. 



254 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Medicinal Uses. — Savine is employed internally ', almost ex- 
clusively as an emmenagogue, and is considered one of the 
best medicines that can be used to stimulate the action of 
the uterine vessels. Pereira pronounces it " the most 
certain and powerful emmenagogue of the whole Materia 
Medica." It has also been recommended in chronic rheu- 
matism, and as an anthelmintic. Topically, it is used to 
keep up the discharge from blisters, to destroy warts, &c. 
Dose, in powder, gr. v-x; but it loses much of its oil by 
drying. Ceratum Sabince (three parts of savine dissolved in 
ether, to twelve parts of resin cerate) is used to make per- 
petual blisters. 

Oleum Sabine (Oil of Savine) is the preparation princi- 
pally used internally. Dose, gtt. v-x. 

Ruta (Hue). The leaves of Ruta graveolens (Nat. Ord. 
Rutacese), a perennial European plant, are ranked among 
emmenagogues, and are used, popularly, to provoke abor- 
tion. Dose, gr. xv-xxx, two or three times a day. Of the 
volatile oil, the dose is gtt. ij-v. 

Rubia (Madder). The root of Rubia tinctorum, or Dyer's 
Madder (Nat. Ord. Rubiaceae), a European plant, is occa- 
sionally employed as an emmenagogue. Dose, 5ss, three 
or four times a day. 



CLASS III.— HEMATICS. 
ORDER I. — ILffiMATINICS. 

This order (from oufiarcva, the red coloring matter of the 
blood), includes only the Preparations of Iron, or Chalt- 
beates. The chalybeates increase the number of blood- 
corpuscles, or the amount of hsematin in the blood, and 
are employed therapeutically in diseases dependent on a 
deficiency of these elements. They belong eminently to 
hcematics (or medicines which occasion changes in the con- 



ALTERATIVES. 255 

dition of the blood) ; but, as they possess also general and 
local tonic effects, independent of their action on the blood, 
they have been classed and treated of among the mineral 
tonics (see p. 110). 



ORDER II. — ALTERATIVES. 

Alteratives may be defined to be medicines, which pro- 
duce such a modification of the tissues, as enables the vital 
principle to restore healthy action, in morbid conditions of 
the system. Their effects are chiefly owing to a correct- 
ing influence on the quality of the circulating fluid. Thus, 
in inflammations, they diminish the abnormal quantity of 
fibrin in the blood, render its red corpuscles less disposed 
to aggregation, and decrease the number and adhesiveness 
of its white globules. In part, also, their curative opera- 
tion is of a substitutive character, by setting up an antago- 
nistic action, which takes the place of diseased action in the 
system. 

Under the influence of alteratives, the secretions and 
exhalations are increased, the textures softened, inflamma- 
tory action is arrested, and morbid growths and deposits 
are absorbed. The exudation of plastic or coagulable 
lymph is checked, and, as a consequence, also the forma- 
tion of false membranes. Visceral and glandular enlarge- 
ments and indurations are diminished and often disappear, 
and phlegmonous inflammation, of every kind, is opposed. 

If pushed too far, the alteratives soften and even destroy 
the textures, impoverish the blood so as to interfere with 
the functions of nutrition, and produce a condition of ma- 
rasmus and cachexia. 

Their principal therapeutic employment is as antiphlogis- 
tics or resolvents. The m.ercurials are chiefly employed in 
acute inflammations, — the preparations of iodine, bromine, 
&c, in chronic inflammations. In the treatment of acute 
inflammatory affections, mercurials are among the most 



256 MATERIA MEDICA. 

important of our resources — especially in such as have a 
tendency to terminate in effusions of coagulahle lymph. 
The iodic and bromic preparations are adapted to inflam- 
mations of a chronic character — and are particularly ser- 
viceable in indurations or enlargements of glands and or- 
gans, and in affections of the bones and fibrous tissues. 

By their substitutive or antagonistic action, alteratives are 
highly efficacious in the treatment of many diseases. In 
this way, syphilis is cured by the use of mercury, and in- 
termittent fever, by the use of arsenious acid. 

Owing to the injurious results which follow the pro- 
longed exhibition of alteratives, they are to be adminis- 
tered with caution, and their effects closely watched. 



HYDRARGYRI PR^PARATA PREPARATIONS OF 

MERCURY. 

Metallic mercury is obtained chiefly from the sulphuret 
(native cinnabar). It is an odorless, tasteless, volatile, liquid 
metal, of a whitish color. 

"While it retains the liquid metallic state, mercury is 
inert ; but, when taken internally, it sometimes combines 
with oxygen in the alimentary canal, and thus becomes 
active. In the state of vapor, it frequently proves inju- 
rious — in some instances, exciting salivation, ulceration of 
the mouth, &c. ; in others, inducing a peculiar affection of 
the nervous system, termed shaking palsy (tremor mercuria- 
lis), which is often attended with loss of memory, vertigo, 
and other evidences of cerebral disturbance, and some- 
times terminates fatally. Workmen in quicksilver are 
liable to this affection. It is supposed by some chemists, 
that the activity of mercurial emanations is owing to the 
oxidation of the metal, before it is inhaled; by others, that, 
in the finely-divided state, in which it exists as a vapor, it 
is in itself poisonous. 

All the compounds of mercury possess activity. Some 



PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 257 

of them are violent caustic poisons ; all of them are more 
or less irritant. When the mercurials are taken internally, 
their effects vary with the quantity administered. In small 
and repeated doses, their influence is first shown in an in- 
crease of the activity of the secernents and exhalants. 
The cutaneous, mucous, biliary, salivary, urinary, and, 
probably also, the pancreatic secretions, are all increased 
in amount, and, at the same time, the absorbent system 
becomes more active, so that accumulations of fluids, mor- 
bid enlargements, indurations, &c, will often disappear. 

When mercury is given in larger doses, these effects are 
more intense. The mucous membrane of the mouth and 
the salivary glands not only take on increased secretory 
action, but become irritated and inflamed. The gums first 
show the mercurial influence, and are tender and tume- 
fied ; the whole mouth soon becomes sore ; the tongue is 
swollen ; and the saliva and buccal mucus flow abundantly, 
sometimes to the extent of several pints a day. At the 
same time, the breath acquires a peculiar fetidity, and the 
patient perceives a metallic taste in the mouth. The resolvent 
action of mercury is now still more obvious than when its 
impression is milder, and considerable emaciation usually 
ensues, from the absorption of fat. These effects, which are 
termed sialagogue (from the excessive flow of saliva), are 
commonly produced for the cure of diseases, and, as a ge- 
neral rule, gradually subside, leaving the health unim- 
paired. When, however, the use of mercury is pushed 
too far, or it is administered to persons peculiarly suscep- 
tible of its action, a train of very serious symptoms en- 
sues — as excessive salivation, ulceration of the mouth, 
sloughing of the gums, loosening of the teeth, and, occa- 
sionally, necrosis of the alveolar processes. A peculiar fe- 
brile condition, called mercurial fever, diarrhoea, skin dis- 
eases, neuralgia, rheumatism, disorder of the nervous sys- 
tem, and marasmus, are other symptoms which are fre- 
quently noticed after the abuse of mercury. 

After its absorption, mercury produces several impor- 

17 



258 MATERIA MEDICA. 

tant changes in the quality of the blood. Immediately 
upon the establishment of salivation, the blood exhibits 
an inflammatory crust ; but, at a later period, it loses color, 
consistence, and coagulability, and the proportion of fibrin 
to serum becomes diminished. This antiplastic action on 
the blood renders mercurials valuable as antiphlogistic re- 
medies. 

Medicinal Uses. — Liquid metallic mercury was formerly 
administered to remove mechanical obstructions of the 
bowels, but its use has been abandoned. The prepara- 
tions of mercury are employed therapeutically with va- 
rious objects. 

1. As alteratives, — with a view to their action on the se- 
cretions, — in dyspepsia and constipation, accompanied with 
torpor of the liver, in gout, rheumatism, chronic skin dis- 
eases, &c. Blue pill, mercury with chalk, and calomel, are 
employed as alteratives; the two former are preferred as 
least irritating. 

2. As sialagogues. The chief value of mercurials is 
shown when a full impression is made on the system, as 
evidenced by salivation. This condition is usually estab- 
lished by the internal exhibition of mercurials, but it may 
be also produced by friction or by fumigation. In putting 
the system under the influence of mercury, it is not neces- 
sary to excite a high degree of ptyalism, though, in chro- 
nic diseases, it is often proper to keep up the effect for 
some time. During the maintenance of ptyalism, the 
patient should use warm clothing, avoid exposure to cold, 
and take light and nourishing food. If excessive discharge 
or ulcerations occur, astringent gargles, as brandy and wa- 
ter, solutions of chloride of soda or lime, alum, &c, may 
be employed. In cases of sloughing sores, nitrate of sil- 
ver or the mineral acids should be applied. Gastro-enteric 
irritation is to be treated with laxatives and opiates. The 
mercurial cachexia requires change of air, generous diet, 
tonics, &c. When the system is contaminated with mer- 
cury, it may be eliminated by the use of iodide of potas- 



PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 259 

sium, which forms soluble compounds with the mercury 
retained in the economy. 

As sialagogues, mercurials are chiefly employed in 
fevers, inflammations, dysentery, cholera, and syphilis. 
In fevers, mercurials are used with a view both to their 
action on the secretions, and to a gentle sialagogue influ- 
ence. It is in inflammations that the value of mercurials 
is most conspicuous. After depletion, the mercurial pre- 
parations, from their antiplastic action on the blood, are 
probably the most efficacious means at our command for 
the relief of internal inflammations. They are most useful 
in inflammations of serous tissues, especially where these 
are connected with the exudation of coagulable lymph, and 
also where there is a tendency to the formation of false 
membrane, as in plastic croup. In scrofulous, malignant, 
or gangrenous inflammations, mercury is objectionable. 
In dysentery and cholera, mercurials are highly valuable re- 
medies, and enter into nearly all the varieties of treatment 
adopted in these diseases. In syphilitic diseases, mercury 
has long been regarded as the only reliable curative agent. 
It is, perhaps, unnecessary in the early treatment of the 
primary symptoms; but, after the system has been con- 
taminated with the syphilitic virus, mercury is the most 
certain and rapid means of eradicating it. In hepatic and 
inflammatory dropsies, mercurials are employed with ad- 
vantage, with a view to their action both on the secretions 
and absorbents. Where much debility exists, however, 
and in granular diseases of the kidneys, mercurials are 
objectionable. The preparations of mercury have been 
exhibited as sialagogues in many other diseases, as para- 
lysis, colica pictonum, chronic visceral diseases, particu- 
larly of the lungs and liver, &c. They must be always 
considered as contra-indicated in scrofulous or tuberculous 
subjects, in cases of malignant disease, in extensive sup- 
purations, marasmus, &c. 

Blue pill and calomel are the sialagogues principally 
resorted to; but other preparations, as the iodides, are 
employed in syphilis. In administering mercurials, for 



260 MATERIA MEDICA. 

their sialagogue action, we sometimes observe a cumulative 
effect: they may be exhibited, particularly to children, 
for some time without result, when suddenly the most vio- 
lent symptoms of mercurial saturation will be developed. 

3. As purgatives. The employment of calomel, blue pill, 
and mercury with chalk, as cathartics and anthelmintics, 
has been previously noticed (see p. 217). 

The following are the preparations of mercury which 
are employed medicinally : 

1. Metallic Mercury. "When intimately mixed with 
pulverulent or fatty bodies, mercury loses its liquid cha- 
racter — is said to be killed, extinguished, or mortified — and 
acquires medicinal activity. Its activity is probably owing 
to its reduction to a state of minute division, which enables 
it to enter into combinations in the stomach. The officinal 
preparations of metallic mercury are : Pilulce Hydrargyri 
{Pills of Mercury), Unguentum Hydrargyri (Mercurial Oint- 
ment), Emplastrum Hydrargyri (Mercurial Plaster), Hydrar- 
gyrum cum Cretd (Mercury with Chalk). 

2. Oxides. — Hydrargyri Oxidum Nigrum (Black Oxide 
of Mercury), Hydrargyri Oxidum Rubrum (Red Oxide of 
Mercury). 

3. Chlorides. — Hydrargyri Chloridum Mite (Mild Chlo- 
ride of Mercury or Calomel), Hydrargyri Chloridum Corrosi- 
vum (Corrosive Chloride of Mercury, or Corrosive Sublimate). 

4. Iodides. — Hydrargyri Iodidum Viride (G-reen Iodide 
of Mercury), Hydrargyri Iodidum Rubrum (Red Iodide of 
Mercury). 

5. Hydrargyri Cyanidum (Cyanide of Mercury). 

6. Hydrargyrum Ammoniatum (Ammoniated Mercury) 

7 .—Hydrargyri Sulphas Flava (Yellow Sulphate of Mer- 
cury). 

8. Hydrargyri Sulphur etum Rubrum (Red Sulphur et of 
Mercury). 

9. Nitrates. — Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis (Ointment 
of Nitrate of Mercury), Liquor Hydrargyri Nitratis (Solution 
of Nitrate of Mercury). 



PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 261 

Pilule Hydrargyri (Pills of Mercury). This prepara- 
tion, generally known as Blue Pill, is made by rubbing 
mercury (a troyounce) with confection of roses (a troy- 
ounce and a half), till all the globules disappear; then 
adding powdered liquorice root (half a troyounce), and 
beating the whole into a mass. The trituration is now 
generally effected by machinery — usually by steam power. 
It is a soft, dark-blue mass, of a convenient consistence for 
making into pills. The mercury is in a state of minute 
division, and is chemically unaltered, though, perhaps, a 
very small portion of it is in a state of oxidation. Three 
grains of the pilular mass contain one grain of mercury. 
The preparation changes color from being kept, becoming 
of an olive and even reddish tint, in consequence of the 
further oxidation of the metal. As it is often adulterated, 
it is important that it should be purchased of a reliable 
house. 

Effects and Uses. — In full doses (gr. v-xv), blue pill acts 
as a laxative; when given for this purpose, it is usually 
followed in a few hours by a saline cathartic. In doses of 
gr. i-ij-iij, repeated at proper intervals, it is employed as 
an alterative or sialagogue, and is the favorite preparation 
for exciting salivation in chronic affections. When it 
moves the bowels, opium is combined with it. It may be 
pleasantly given suspended in mucilage or syrup. 

Unguentum Hydrargyri (Mercurial Ointment) is made 
by rubbing two parts of mercury with one part of suet and 
lard each, until the globules disappear. It is an unctuous, 
fatty body, of a bluish-gray color, consisting of equal 
weights of fatty matter and finely divided mercury. A very 
small portion of protoxide is, perhaps, present, and, as the 
ointment becomes darker by age, a further oxidation of 
the mercury probably takes place. 

Effects and Uses. — Mercurial ointment, when either swal- 
lowed or rubbed into the integuments, produces the con- 
stitutional effects of mercury; locally, it has but little 
irritant effect. It is scarcely ever used internally in the 



262 MATERIA MEDICA. 

United States or Great Britain, though, in France, it is 
highly esteemed as a sialagogue, in the dose of gr. ij, re- 
peated. Externally, it is used to mercurialize the system 
by friction, or applied to blistered surfaces ; to disperse 
non-malignant tumors ; as a dressing to syphilitic sores ; 
to destroy pediculi ; and to prevent suppuration and pitting 
in small-pox. 

Emplastrum Hydrargyri {Mercurial Plaster), is made by 
rubbing mercury with olive oil and resin previously melted 
together, till the globules disappear; and then adding melted 
lead plaster. It is used as a discutient of venereal and other 
enlargements, &c, and is applied to the side in chronic 
hepatitis : it may induce salivation. The plaster of ammo- 
niac with mercury (made with ammoniac, mercury, olive oil, 
and sulphur) is more stimulating than the foregoing. 

Hydrargyrum cum Creta {Mercury with Chalk), is pre- 
pared by rubbing three parts of mercury with five parts 
of prepared chalk, till all the globules disappear. It is a 
grayish powder, containing mercury chiefly in a state of 
minute division. In full doses, it is a gentle laxative, 
milder even than blue pill; in smaller doses, it is an ex- 
cellent alterative ; and the chalk renders it antacid. It is 
chiefly employed as an alterative in infantile cases. Dose, 
for adults, gr. v-xx; for children, gr. ij or iij to gr. viij or 
x, in powder, and not in pills, as in the latter form the 
mercury becomes squeezed out of the chalk. 

Hydrargyri Oxidum Nigrum {Black Oxide of Mercury). 
This preparation, although discarded from the Pharma- 
copoeia, has still claims to notice. It is obtained by agitat- 
ing calomel (protochloride of mercury) in a solution of 
potassa; chloride of potassium is formed in solution, and 
protoxide of mercury (one equivalent of oxygen and one 
equivalent of mercury) precipitates. As first prepared, it 
is a greenish-black powder ; but, on exposure to light or 
heat, it is converted into a mixture of metallic mercury 
and deutoxide, and becomes olive-colored. It is odorless, 



PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 263 

tasteless, insoluble in water, but soluble in nitric and acetic 
acids. Its effects are alterative, sialagogue, and purgative, 
and it is one of the least irritating of the mercurial prepa- 
rations — but it is little used internally, on account of the 
uncertainty of its composition. Dose, gr. £ to gr. i-ij, in 
pill. Externally, it has been employed as a fumigating 
agent; also, as an application to chancres and other sores, 
suspended in a weak solution of chloride of calcium, under 
the name of black wash (made extemporaneously by adding 
calomel 5j ? to lime-water Oj). 

Hydrargyri Oxidum Rubrum [Red Oxide of Mercury). 
This is the deutoxide or peroxide of mercury (consisting of 
one equivalent of metal and two equivalents of oxygen). 
It is usually made by dissolving mercury in diluted nitric 
acid, with a gentle heat, by which nitrate of the deutoxide 
of mercury is formed ; and the nitric acid is afterwards 
decomposed and driven off by calcination. The deutoxide 
of mercury, which is commonly called red precipitate, occurs 
in small, shining scales, of a brilliant red color, with a 
shade of orange. It has an acrid taste, and is nearly inso- 
luble in water. Its effects are those of a powerful irritant, 
and, when taken internally, even in small doses, it excites 
vomiting and purging — in large doses, gastro-enteritis. It 
is rarely or never used internally (dose, gr. J-J); exter- 
nally, it is applied as an escharotic, either in powder or 
ointment, to chancres, indolent ulcers, &c. The yellow 
wash (a favorite application to phagedenic venereal ulcers) 
consists of red oxide of mercury, suspended in a weak solu- 
tion of chloride of calcium and caustic lime ; it is made by 
adding corrosive sublimate (gr. ij, or less) to lime-water 
(fSj). Unguentum hydrargyri oxidi rubri {ointment of red 
oxide of mercury), consists of one part of red oxide mixed 
with eight parts of simple ointment : it is a very useful 
stimulating ointment in indolent ulcers, porrigo, ophthal- 
mia, &c. 

Hydrargyri Chloridum Mite [Mild Chloride of Mercury). 



264 MATEEIA MEDICA. 

This preparation, well known as calomel, consists of one 
equivalent of chlorine and of mercury, each, and is a pro- 
tochloride of mercury. It is made by subliming a mixture 
of protosulphate of mercury and chloride of sodium 
(common salt) ; a double decomposition takes place, by 
which chloride of mercury and sulphate of soda are formed. 
The protosulphate of mercury is previously obtained by 
boiling mercury in sulphuric acid, and afterwards triturat- 
ing the resulting bisulphate of the deutoxide with mer- 
cury. Calomel, as thus procured in mass, is liable to con- 
tain a little corrosive sublimate. It should be reduced to 
powder, and washed repeatedly with boiled distilled water, 
until the absence of a white precipitate with ammonia 
shows that the corrosive sublimate has been removed. 
With a view of obtaining calomel in a state of very minute 
division, its vapor is condensed in a receiving vessel filled 
with steam, whereby it takes the form of a very fine powder, 
and is perfectly free from corrosive sublimate. The calomel 
thus prepared (known as Jewell 9 s or Howard's calomel) is 
finer and more active than can be obtained by levigation 
and elutriation. 

Calomel, as usually manufactured by sublimation, is in 
the form of white, fibrous, crystalline cakes. It may be 
obtained in the shape of quadrangular prismatic crystals. 
As found in the shops, it is a light-bun or ivory-colored 
powder, tasteless, inodorous, insoluble in water, alcohol, 
and ether, unalterable in the air, but blackening by long 
exposure to light. It should be kept in bottles painted 
black or covered with black paper. Jewell's calomel is a 
perfectly white powder. When pure, calomel is completely 
vaporizable by heat; it strikes a black color, free from red- 
dish tinge, with solutions of the fixed alkalies ; and should 
not, when digested with water, form a white precipitate 
with ammonia, unless it contain corrosive sublimate. 

Ineompatibles. — The alkalies, alkaline earths, alkaline 
carbonates, soaps, and hydrosulphates, are incompatible with 
calomel. Nitro-muriatic acid should not be prescribed with 



PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 265 

it, for fear of generating corrosive sublimate. Preparations 
containing hydrocyanic acid, the chlorides of sodium and 
potassium, and muriate of ammonia, produce the same 
change. It is probable that calomel is in part converted 
into corrosive sublimate in the stomach, by the muriatic 
acid which it encounters. 

Effects and Uses. — Calomel produces the effects of the 
mercurials, already described, and, in purgative doses, 
proves also a valuable anthelmintic. From the certainty 
and mildness of its operation, it is more employed than any 
of the other preparations of mercury, although blue pill, 
which if less certain, is milder, is preferred under some 
circumstances. Calomel has been frequently taken in very 
large doses, without any bad effects; but cases are recorded 
in which, in excessive quantity, it has acted as an irritant 
poison. As a purgative, it is employed in doses of gr. 
vi-xij, in fevers, hepatitis, colica pictonum, dysentery, and 
many other affections; as an anthelmintic in the same doses; 
and, in both cases, it is to be followed in a few hours by a 
saline draught, castor oil, or senna. Calomel is often given 
in combination with other cathartics, as jalap, rhubarb, 
aloes, scammony, colocynth, and gamboge. In very large 
doses, as 3j to 5ss, or even more, it is said to possess seda- 
tive powers, and has been recommended in dysentery, cho- 
lera, puerperal fever, &c. As an antiphlogistic, in inflamma- 
tory cases, calomel is given in doses of gr. J to gr. j, every 
one, two, or three hours; as an alterative, in these doses, 
twice or thrice a day. In the dose of gr. j, frequently re- 
peated, it is one of the best means of checking obstinate 
vomiting. It is frequently added to other medicines to in- 
crease their action on the secretions, as diuretics, antimo- 
nials, &c. To children, calomel may be given in propor- 
tionally larger doses than to adults, and it rarely salivates 
them. In infantile diarrhoea, very minute doses of calomel, 
as gr. J, yL, Jg, every hour or two, are highly efficacious. 
Externally, calomel is applied in powder, as an errhine, in 



266 MATERIA MEDICA. 

amaurosis ; and, made into an ointment, it is an excellent 
application in a variety of cutaneous affections. 

Hydrargyri Chloridum Corrosivum (Corrosive Chloride 
of Mercury). This is the bichloride of mercury, commonly 
called corrosive sublimate, consisting of two equivalents of 
chlorine and one equivalent of mercury. It is made by 
subliming a mixture of chloride of sodium and bisulphate 
of the deutoxide of mercury (which is previously obtained 
by boiling mercury with sulphuric acid) ; a double decom- 
position takes place, resulting in the formation of bichlo- 
ride of mercury and sulphate of soda. Corrosive subli- 
mate occurs in the form of white, semi-transparent, crys- 
talline masses, permanent in the air, inodorous, and of an 
acrid, styptic taste. It is tolerably soluble in cold water, 
and very soluble in boiling water, alcohol, ether, and the 
mineral acids. The aqueous solution, when exposed to 
light, is decomposed, with the precipitation of calomel 
and evolution of hydrochloric acid. It is incompatible with 
many of the metals, the alkalies and their carbonates, 
soap, lime-water, tartar emetic, nitrate of silver, the ace- 
tates of lead, the sulphurets of potassium and sodium, and 
all the hydrosulphates. The tests for detecting corrosive 
sublimate as a poison are, in the order of their delicacy, 
ferrocyanide of potassium, lime-water, carbonate of potassa, 
iodide of potassium, ammonia, sulphuretted hydrogen, and 
protochloride of tin. 

Physiological Effects. — In medicinal doses, as gr. y^-J, 
corrosive sublimate occasions a beneficial alterative effect, 
without any obvious activity. Its continued use may cause 
salivation, but it has less tendency to produce this result 
than any other preparation of mercury. Medicinal doses, 
if too large or too long-continued, frequently produce gas- 
troenteric symptoms and the constitutional effects of mer- 
cury. In excessive doses, corrosive sublimate is a violent 
caustic poison, from its affinity for albumen, fibrin, and other 
constituents of the tissues. It produces the most intense 
gastro-enteritis, sometimes followed by the ordinary con- 



PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 267 

stitutional effects of mercury. The best antidote is albu- 
men (in the form of white of eggs) ; or, if this is not at- 
tainable, gluten (in wheat flour), or casein (in milk), may be 
substituted. The protosulphuret of iron (if given immedi- 
ately), and a mixture of iron filings (two parts) with gold 
dust (one part), also decompose corrosive sublimate. In 
cases of poisoning, the stomach must be evacuated as soon 
as possible, and the after-treatment consists in the free use 
of demulcents, opiates, and topical depletion. 

Medicinal Uses. — Corrosive sublimate is chiefly used as 
an alterative in secondary syphilis, usually in combination 
with the alterative diaphoretics, as the compound syrup of 
sarsaparilla ; also in cutaneous and rheumatic affections, 
and as a sorbefacient in old dropsies. Dose, gr. yg-J, three 
or four times a day, in pill or solution. Externally, it may 
be used as a caustic ; a weak solution (gr. J-i-ij to water 
fSj) is much employed as a wash to ulcers, an injection in 
gleet, a collyrium, &c. An ointment (gr. J— i-ij to lard Sj), 
is a good application in porrigo. 

Hydrargyri Iodidum Yiride (Green Iodide of Mercury), 
is made by rubbing mercury and iodine together, with the 
addition of a little alcohol. It is a protiodide, consisting of 
one equivalent of iodine and mercury each, and is a yel- 
lowish-green powder, insoluble in water and alcohol, but 
soluble in ether. By exposure to light it is partially de- 
composed, and becomes of a dark-olive color. 

Effects and Uses. — This mercurial exercises a specific in- 
fluence over the lymphatic and glandular system, and is 
employed in syphilis and scrofula occurring in the same 
individual. Dose, gr. j, gradually increased to gr. iij or iv; 
it should not be given with iodide of potassium, which de- 
composes it. Externally, it is applied, in the form of oint- 
ment, to syphilitic ulcers, &c. 

Hydrargyri Iodidum Rubrum (Red Iodide of Mercury), 
is the biniodide, consisting of one equivalent of mercury 
and two equivalents of iodine. It is made by mixing so- 



268 MATERIA MEDICA. 

lutions of iodide of potassium and bichloride of mercury, 
from which a double decomposition ensues, resulting in 
the formation of chloride of potassium in solution, and 
biniodide of mercury precipitated. It is a scarlet-red pow- 
der, insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol and solutions 
of iodide of potassium, chloride of sodium, &c. It is a 
powerful irritant and caustic, and is employed in the same 
cases as the protiodide, though much more energetic. 
Dose, gr. Jg, gradually increased to gr. J, in pill or alco- 
holic solution. Externally, it is much used in the form of 
ointment. 

Hydrargyri Cyanidum ( Cyanide of Mercury). This salt 
is made by adding a solution of ferrocyanide of potassium 
to sulphuric acid, by which hydrocyanic acid is produced, 
and this, being received in a vessel containing water and 
red oxide of mercury, generates water and bicyanide of 
mercury. It is usually found in the form of permanent, 
prismatic, white, and opaque crystals, of a disagreeable 
styptic taste, soluble in water, but not in alcohol. It is an 
active poison, and is used as an antisyphilitic remedy, as a 
substitute for corrosive sublimate, over which it has the 
advantage of not producing epigastric pain, and not being 
decomposed by alkalies and organic substances. Dose, gr. 
i JL 

8 1 6* 

Hydrargyrum Ammoniatum [Ammoniated Mercury). This 
preparation, commonly called white precipitate, is made by 
precipitating a solution of bichloride of mercury by am- 
monia; muriate of ammonia is formed in solution, and 
ammoniated mercury is thrown down. It consists of one 
equivalent of bichloride of mercury and one equivalent 
of a compound consisting of one equivalent of mercury 
combined with two equivalents of amidogen (or ammonia 
deprived of one equivalent of hydrogen). It is a perfectly 
white powder, insoluble in water and alcohol, decomposed 
by boiling water, inodorous, and has an earthy, afterwards 



PEEPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 269 

metallic taste. It is largely adulterated, chiefly with sul- 
phate of lime. Its effects are poisonous, but it is used only 
as an external application, in the form of ointment (unguen- 
tum hydrargyri ammoniati, (one part of ammoniated mer- 
cury to twelve parts of ointment of lard), to cutaneous 
eruptions, and to destroy pediculi. 

Hydrargyri Sulphas Flava {Yellow Sulphate of Mer- 
cury). This salt, commonly called turpeth mineral, is made 
by throwing the bisulphate of the deutoxide of mercury 
(as obtained from the action of sulphuric acid on mer- 
cury), into boiling water ; the bisulphate is instantly decom- 
posed, and a basic sesquisulphate of the deutoxide of mer- 
cury — turpeth mineral — is precipitated. It is an inodorous, 
lemon-yellow powder, of a rather acrid taste, and almost 
insoluble in water. It has been employed as an alterative, 
in doses of gr. J-j- ; as an emetic, in croup and chronic en- 
largement of the testis, in doses of gr. ij-v ; and as an er- 
rhine, in chronic ophthalmia and diseases of the head. In 
an overdose, it is poisonous, 5j having proved fatal. 

Hydrargyri Sulphuretum Eubrum (Red Sulphuret of 
Mercury), or Cinnabar (which is found as a native combina- 
tion), is manufactured by subliming a mixture of one part 
of sulphur and five parts of mercury. It consists of one 
equivalent of mercury and two equivalents of sulphur, and 
occurs in the form of heavy, brillia'nt, deep-red, crystal- 
line masses, which are inodorous, tasteless, entirely vola- 
tilizable by heat, and insoluble in water and alcohol. It is 
not employed internally, but is used in the way of fumiga- 
tion in venereal ulcers of the throat and nose ; 5ss may be 
thrown on a red-hot iron and inhaled ; but the black oxide 
is a better substance for mercurial fumigation. Cinnabar 
is used as a paint, under the name of vermilion. 

Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis (Ointment of Nitrate 
of Mercury). The nitrate of mercury is employed chiefly in 
the form of ointment. This preparation, known as citrine 



270 MATERIA MEDICA. 

ointment, is made by dissolving mercury in nitric acid, and 
adding the mercurial solution to a melted mixture of neat's- 
foot oil and lard. The chemical changes which result here 
are not precisely known ; but a subnitrate of the deutoxide 
of mercury is probably formed, with fatty acids and elaidin. 
Citrine ointment has a fine yellow color, and unctuous 
consistence ; but, if not very carefully made, it becomes 
greenish, hard, and friable. It is an excellent stimulant 
and alterative application, much employed in porrigo, pso- 
riasis, crusta lactea, impetigo, psorophthalmia, and a wide 
range of ulcerated and eruptive affections. It is best to 
dilute it, at first, with lard. 

Liquor Hydrargyri Nitratis {Solution of Nitrate of Mer- 
cury), is made by dissolving 3 parts of mercury in 5 parts 
of nitric acid, mixed with a little distilled water. It is a 
dense, transparent, nearly colorless liquid, of a strongly 
acid taste, and is employed as a caustic application in 
malignant ulcers and cutaneous affections. 



IODINIUM — IODINE. 

Iodine is an elementary non-metallic substance, found 
in the vegetable, animal, and mineral kingdoms of nature, 
— as marine plants, oysters, sponges, mineral springs, &c. 
It is chiefly manufactured from kelp (the impure soda ob- 
tained from the incineration of sea- weeds), in which it 
exists as an iodide of sodium. It occurs in crystalline 
scales, of a bluish-black color and metallic lustre, of a 
strong, peculiar odor, and a hot, acrid taste. It is very 
volatile — evaporating even at common temperatures — is 
freely soluble in alcohol and ether, and but very slightly 
soluble in water. Its solubility in water is very much 
increased by the addition of certain salts, as the iodide of 
potassium, chloride of sodium, &c. Iodine may be de- 
tected in the minutest quantity by starch, which produces 
with it a deep blue color; if in combination, the iodine 



IODINE. 271 

must be first freed with a little nitric acid. Chloroform 
has also been proposed as a test. 

Physiological Effects. — Iodine acts locally as an irritant ; 
when applied to the skin it stains it yellow, and causes 
itching, redness, and desquamation ; and, when inhaled in 
the form of vapor, it excites cough and heat in the air- 
passages. Taken internally, in medicinal doses, it frequently 
produces a remedial alterative and resolvent effect, without 
any obvious disturbance of the functions. Usually, pa- 
tients become thin under its use, though sometimes its 
alterative action on the nutrition produces embonpoint. 
If administered in too large doses, or to persons of irrita- 
ble stomachs, it produces subacute gastro-enteritis ; and, 
when continued for a long time, it will produce gastro- 
enteric symptoms — headache, giddiness, and other evi- 
dences of cerebro-spinal disturbance — marasmus — some- 
times discoloration of the skin — occasionally salivation — 
and frequently a wasting of the mammas and testicles. The 
influence of iodine on the secretions is uncertain, but it 
commonly stimulates them. In excessive doses, it may 
act as an irritant poison, and has even produced death; 
but such a result is rare. Enormous quantities have been 
taken with very slight effects. The absorption of iodine 
is shown by its presence in the blood and various secre- 
tions. 

Medicinal Uses.- — Iodine is a most valuable resolvent 
remedy, in chronic visceral and glandular enlargements, 
indurations, thickening of membranes, tumors, &c. It is 
chiefly employed in bronchocele and scrofula, but it is useful 
in every variety of chronic tumor and enlargement; also 
as an alterative in secondary syphilis and other chronic 
affections ; and as an emmenagogue. Its vapor has been 
inhaled with benefit in chronic bronchitis and phthisis. 
It is a valuable topical remedy, and is applied in the form 
of tincture, with the greatest advantage, in the various 
cutaneous affections, lupus, erysipelas, rheumatism, gout, 
phlegmons, carbuncles, wounds, diseases of joints, poisoned 



272 MATERIA MEDICA. 

parts, to prevent pitting in small-pox, as an injection in 
hydrocele, &c, &c. 

Administration. — Iodine is rarely exhibited alone, but 
usually in conjunction with iodide of potassium (see p. 
273). To avoid gastric irritation, it is best given after a 
meal, particularly when amylaceous substances have been 
taken, as it forms with them iodide of starch. Dose, gr. 
^-J, two or three times daily. Liquor Iodinii Compositus — 
Compound Solution of Iodine — (Iodine 5vj ; Iodide of potas- 
sium a troyounce and a half; distilled water Oj), is the 
usual preparation in which iodine is administered inter- 
nally. Dose, six drops, three times a day, in sweetened 
water, and gradually increased. The tincture (a troyounce 
to alcohol Oj) is of a deep-brown color, and undergoes a 
gradual change, when kept long; water precipitates the 
iodine from it; and hence it is little employed internally. 
Dose, gtt. x-xx, repeated and increased. Externally, it is 
extensively applied to erysipelatous and poisoned parts, 
chilblains, in cutaneous affections, &c, &c. The compound 
tincture (iodine half a troyounce, iodide of potassium a troy- 
ounce, alcohol Oj), has the advantage over the tincture, 
that it may be diluted with water without decomposition. 
Dose, gtt. xv-xxx. The ointment — unguentum iodinii — (made 
with iodine 3j, iodide of potassium gr. iv, water trgyj, and 
lard a troyounce), is employed as a local application in 
goitre, scrofulous tumefactions, &c. ; it does not keep well. 
Unguentum iodinii compositum (iodine 15 grains, iodide of 
potassium 30 grains, water 30 minims, lard a troyounce), 
is used for the same purposes as the preceding ; they both 
impart an orange color to the skin. Iodine baths have been 
employed, with iodine and iodide of potassium dissolved 
in water, in a wooden bath-tub, in the proportion of iodine 
gr. iij, and iodide gr. vj, to a gallon of water. 

Iodine is employed in medicine, in various chemical com- 
binations. The iodides of iron, lead, and mercury, have been 
noticed. The iodide of starch is highly recommended. 
Dose, a teaspoonful, three times a day, to be increased. 



IODIDE OF POTASSIUM. 273 

The iodide of zinc is employed as a tonic and astringent. 
The iodide of sidphur, in the form of ointment, is used in 
various skin diseases. 



POTASSII IODIDUM — IODIDE OF POTASSIUM. 

This salt is prepared by treating an aqueous solution of 
potassa with iodine in slight excess. By this process, a 
mixture of iodide of potassium and iodate of potassa is 
obtained, and the iodate is afterwards deoxidized and con- 
verted into iodide by heat, and mixture with powdered 
charcoal. Iodide of potassium consists of one equivalent 
of iodine and potassium, each. It occurs in semi-opaque, 
white, or transparent crystals, permanent in a dry air, 
rather deliquescent in a moist one, of an acrid, saline 
taste, somewhat like that of common salt. It is readily 
soluble in water and alcohol, and its aqueous solution dis- 
solves iodine, forming ioduretted iodide of potassium. It is 
frequently adulterated with other salts. 

^Effects and Uses. — The effects of iodide of potassium are 
analogous to those of iodine, but less energetic. Locally, 
it acts as an irritant, and, in large doses, sometimes occa- 
sions nausea, vomiting, heat of stomach, and purging; but 
it may be given in larger doses, and for a longer period, 
than iodine, without causing gastro-enteric derangement. 
It stimulates the secretions, particularly those from mucous 
membranes, and very often produces coryza. Its consti- 
tutional effects are powerfully alterative and resolvent, and 
it is employed in bronchocele, scrofula, secondary syphilis, and 
other chronic diseases, particularly those accompanied with 
enlargements or indurations. It is superior to mercury as 
an anti-syphilitic remedy, when the bones and fibrous tissues 
are affected. In chronic rheumatism and gout, particularly 
where the fibrous tissues are attacked, it is of great efficacy. 
As a diuretic in dropsy, it has been found useful; and in 
spasmodic asthma it often gives great relief. As an elimi- 

18 



274 MATERIA MEDICA. 

native antidote, in mercurial and saturnine poisoning, its 
action has been already noticed. It has been recommended 
in hydrocephalus. 

Administration. — Dose, gr. v-xv, or even more, three 
times a day, in solution. An ointment (5j to lard a troy- 
ounce, with water f'Sj), is employed for the same purposes 
as iodine ointment, and does not discolor the skin ; it is, 
however, of feebler efficacy. 

Brominium (Bromine), is an elementary body, bearing 
close chemical and medicinal affinities to iodine. It is 
obtained from the bittern of salt springs (largely near 
Freeport, Pa.), in which it exists as a bromide of magne- 
sium. It is a volatile, red liquid, of a caustic taste, and a 
strong, disagreeable smell, sparingly soluble in water, 
more soluble in alcohol, and still more so in ether. Its 
effects on the system are very analogous to those of iodine, 
and it has been employed as an alterative resolvent in 
bronchocele, scrofulous tumors, skin diseases, &c, particu- 
larly in cases in which iodine does not answer, or has lost 
its activity. It is exhibited in aqueous solution (1 part to 40 
parts of distilled water); dose, six drops, several times a 
day. Properly diluted, it is used as a wash for ulcers. In 
overdoses, bromine is an irritant poison, and has proved 
fatal; ammonia is said to be an antidote. 

Potassii Bromidum (Bromide of Potassium), is prepared 
by adding a solution of pure carbonate of potassa to a 
solution of bromide of iron. The iron is precipitated, and 
bromide of potassium remains in solution, from which it 
is obtained by evaporation. It occurs as a permanent, 
colorless, anhydrous, crystalline salt, of a pungent, saline 
taste, very soluble in water, and slightly soluble in alcohol. 
Bromide of potassium has been used as a substitute for the 
iodide, in bronchocele, scrofula, chronic cutaneous affections, 
secondary syphilis, &c, but it is inferior in these diseases 
to the iodic salt. It has, however, proved a very effica- 
cious remedy in diseases of the nervous centres, as whoop- 



COD-LIVER OIL. 275 



ing-cough, infantile convulsions, and especially epilepsy, 
over which it is now believed to exert more control than 
any other article of the Materia Medica. It is found also 
to be the most efficient remed} r which we possess in allay- 
ing venereal excitement, and hence its employment in 
nymphomania, chordee, &c, and as a preventive of mastur- 
bation, in prisons, barracks, &c. Dose, from three to ten 
grains, several times a day. Bromides of iron and of mer- 
cury have been also employed. 



OLEUM MORRHU^E — COD-LIVER OIL. 

This is a fixed oil, obtained from the liver of Gadus 
Morrhua, or the common cod, — a well-known fish of the 
Northern Atlantic, — and probably, also, from the livers of 
several other species of Gadus. It is prepared by subject- 
ing the livers to heat, either in boilers with water, or by 
means of steam externally applied, and afterwards drain- 
ing oft* the liquid portion, from which the oil separates on 
standing. It is said to be sometimes procured also by ex- 
pression. Three varieties are known, the white or pale- 
yellow, the brownish-yellow, and the dark-brown. They differ 
chiefly in the mode of preparation — the pale being pre- 
pared from fresh livers, the dark-brown from those which 
are collected at sea and have undergone putrefactive de- 
composition, and the brownish-yellow from those in which 
putrefaction has only partially commenced. The pale oil 
is the purest; the dark oil is the most offensive to the taste 
and smell, and the least acceptable to the stomach. 

Cod-liver oil is of the consistence of lamp-oil, and has a 
peculiar odor and taste, resembling that of shoe-leather, 
which is usually prepared in the United States with this 
oil. These sensible properties are probably the best test 
of the genuineness of the oil, and it should be rejected if 
the smell and taste of shoe-leather are wanting, or if those 
of lamp-oil or fish-oil are very perceptible. The sp. gr. of 



276 MATERIA MEDICA. 

the best oil is about 0.917. The oil undergoes a gradual 
change from exposure to the air, and should therefore be 
kept in full and well-stoppered bottles. It contains a great 
variety of chemical constituents, the most important of which 
are fatty acids, several biliary principles, a peculiar brown 
substance called gaduin (which is not, however, supposed 
to be the active ingredient), iodine, chlorine, and traces of 
bromine. 

Cod-liver oil may be distinguished from other oils by 
the agency of sulphuric acid, a drop of which, when added 
to fresh cod-liver oil, on a porcelain plate, causes a centri- 
fugal movement in the oil, and gives rise to a tine violet 
color, soon passing into yellowish or brownish-red. This 
reaction is attributable, however, to the bile contained in 
the oil. By the addition of ammonia, lime, or potassa, the 
peculiar volatile principle, prophylamia (the odorous prin- 
ciple of pickled herring), is developed. 

Physiological Effects. — The prolonged use of cod-liver oil 
in doses which allow it to be retained by the stomach, pro- 
duces very marked beneficial effects in a wide range of 
chronic diseases, dependent on a vitiated condition of the 
functions of digestion, assimilation, and nutrition. Its 
modus medendi is not well understood; some therapeutists 
believing it to act merely as a nutritive agent, valuable 
from the readiness with which it is assimilated — others at- 
tributing its curative powers to the iodine and bromine, or 
other principles which it contains. Its efficiency, cannot, 
however, be ascribed to its nutritive qualities, as other 
highly nutritious oleaginous substances have no such cura- 
tive powers. It appears to act, in some unknown way, as 
an alterative stimulant to the functions of assimilation and 
nutrition, rendering food more easily assimilable, and thus 
resisting the .waste of the system occasioned by chronic 
diseases. The most striking feature in its action on the 
economy is increase of weight ; and, usually, where it fails 
to increase the weight, it is of little service. In large doses, 



COD-LIVER OIL. 277 

cod-liver oil produces nausea and diarrhoea, and these 
effects occasionally follow the use of medicinal doses. 

Medicinal Uses. — Cod-liver oil has long heen known as a 
remedy in rheumatic diseases : and within the last twenty 
years it has come into extensive use, as an alterative in 
tuberculous and scrofulous affections. In the treatment of 
phthisis pulmonalis, it is now looked upon, in Great Britain 
and the United States, as superior to any other agent, and 
as possessing an undoubted power of arresting the progress 
of both the general and local symptoms in this disease. 
Relatively, it produces more marked effect in the last than 
in the previous stages of phthisis. Over the various forms 
of scrofula, it exercises also a very decided control — par- 
ticularly glandular enlargements, ulcers, diseases of the 
joints and spine, ophthalmia, &c. In the various cutaneous 
affections, scrofulous ophthalmia, chronic rheumatism, and. 
gout, and the entire circle of chronic disorders, in which 
there is a tendency to marasmus, cod-liver oil is now em- 
ployed. Its peculiar powers and merits require, however, 
to be more fully developed by time. It is contraindicated 
where there is a tendency to congestion or plethora, and 
its exhibition should be suspended (temporarily, at least) 
in the treatment of phthisis, when intra-thoracic inflamma- 
tion or hemoptysis is present. Its good effects are most 
conspicuous, in proportion to the youth of the patient. 

Administration. — Dose, a tablespoonful three or four times 
a day, to be gradually increased as the stomach will permit; 
and it must be persevered with for a long time before its 
good effects appear. It is best given in some aromatic 
water, or the froth of porter; and it may be rendered more 
acceptable to the stomach by combination with one of the 
mineral acids. If it produce diarrhoea, astringents should 
be administered with it. It is used as a clyster, in cases of 
ascarides and lumbricoides ; and externally, in cutaneous 
affections and opacity of the cornea. 



278 MATERIA MEDICA. 



ARSENICI PRiEPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF 

ARSENIC. 

Metallic arsenic is inert, though, when swallowed, it may 
prove powerfully poisonous, by becoming oxidized and con- 
verted into arsenious acid. It is not used in medicine. 

Acidum Arseniosum (Arsenious Acid), sometimes called 
White Arsenic, Oxide of Arsenic, or Arsenic, is obtained prin- 
cipally as a secondary product in the roasting of cobalt 
ores (the arseniurets of cobalt) in Saxony and Bohemia. 
It is afterwards purified by sublimation; and, when re- 
cently prepared, occurs in glassy, colorless, transparent 
masses, of a vitreous fracture, which gradually become 
white and opaque, progressively from the surface inwards. 
It is sometimes kept in the shops in the form of a fine 
white powder; but, in this state, it is liable to adulteration 
with chalk or sulphate of lime, and it should therefore be 
always purchased in masses. It is volatilizable by heat, has 
no smell, and little or no taste ; is soluble in water (com- 
pletely so in boiling water, and more readily in either, 
when transparent than opaque), and also in alcohol and oils. 
Its chemical composition is one equivalent of arsenic and 
three equivalents of oxygen. Arsenic acid is composed of 
one equivalent of metal and Hve equivalents of oxygen. 

Tests. — Owing to the frequent use of arsenious acid as a 
poison, a knowledge of the means of detecting its presence 
is of great importance. In the solid state, it may be recog- 
nized in the first place by its volatility; secondly, when 
thrown on burning charcoal, it is deoxidized, and gives out 
the garlicky odor of metallic arsenic ; and, thirdly, if heated 
in a glass tube with charcoal or black flux, it sublimes and 
condenses in the form of a metallic crust. In aqueous solution, 
arsenious acid may be detected by the following reagents : 
sulphuretted hydrogen, which produces a lemon or sulphur- 
yellow sulphuret of arsenic; ammoniacal nitrate of silver, 
which produces a canary-yellow arsenite of silver ; and am- 



PREPARATIONS OF ARSENIC. 279 

moniacal sulphate of copper, which produces an apple or 
grass-green arsenite of copper. The sulphuret of arsenic 
may be reduced, and made to yield metallic arsenic, if 
heated with soda-flux or potash-flux. The most delicate 
test, however, of arsenious acid in solution is that of 
nascent hydrogen, termed Marsh's test. When the acid is 
submitted to the action of nascent hydrogen (evolved by 
the action of sulphuric acid on zinc), it is deoxidized, and 
unites with the hydrogen to form arseniuretted hydrogen 
gas. This gas has a garlicky odor, and is recognized by 
its burning with a bluish-white flame, which deposits on a 
plate of glass or porcelain, held over the jet, a black spot 
or ring, surrounded by a larger white ring of arsenious 
acid. Another test is that of Reinsch, and consists in boil- 
ing a solution of the acid with muriatic acid and copper- 
foil or wire, when the latter acquires a whitish coating of 
metallic arsenic. When arsenious acid is dissolved with liquid 
organic substances, it should first be separated from insoluble 
matters by filtration, and the metallic arsenic may be then 
obtained by Reinsch' 's process ; and the liquid or subliming 
tests afterwards applied. If the poison be mixed with 
solid organic substances, they should be cut up and boiled 
with water, acidulated with muriatic acid, and the solution 
afterwards filtered, and again boiled, &c. 

Physiological Effects. — Arsenious acid acts locally as an 
escharotic, by destroying the vitality of the parts to which 
it is applied. Its efl'ects, when it is taken internally, in 
medicinal doses, are not, at first, very obvious. When con- 
tinued for some time, it generally produces more or less 
heat and dryness of the throat and stomach, with nausea, 
increased secretion from the bowels and kidneys, irritation 
of the conjunctiva, and a peculiar swelling of the face, 
termed oedema arsenicalis ; after the latter symptom appears, 
the medicine should be suspended. In too long-continued or 
too large medicinal doses, arsenious acid sometimes produces 
a sort of chronic poisoning, characterized by disorder of 
the digestive apparatus, conjunctivitis, oedema, salivation, a 



280 MATERIA MEDICA. 

cutaneous eruption, loss of the hair and nails, paralysis, 
convulsions, and, if its use be persevered in, coma and de- 
lirium may result, terminating in death. In excessive doses, 
arsenious acid is a violent poison, usually destroying life 
by gastro-enteritis, in from one to two or three days. When 
very large quantities are taken, it sometimes acts on the 
cerebro-spinal system, producing death by narcotism, in a 
few hours. Occasionally, gastro-enteric and cerebro-spinal 
symptoms both occur. A few grains of arsenious acid 
ma} T prove fatal. 

Dissections, in cases of poisoning from this agent, reveal 
redness (sometimes accompanied with extravasations of 
blood), ulceration, softening, effusion of lymph, and even 
gangrene, in the alimentary canal. The blood is often 
fluid and dark-colored. The absorption of arsenious acid 
into the system, after its administration, is shown by its 
presence in the blood, animal tissues, urine, &c. 

Antidotes and Treatment in eases of Poisoning. — The eva- 
cuation of the contents of the stomach, by the stomach- 
pump or emetics, should be the first object in these cases. 
Demulcent drinks are to be also freely given. The ht- 
drated peroxide of irox should be administered, as soon 
as it can be procured, in the state of pulp or magma. It is 
prepared by the action of an alkaline solution on a sesqui- 
salt of iron ; solution of ammonia is directed by the U. S. 
Pharmacopoeia, to be added to a solution of the tersulphate 
of iron (see p. 113). The hydrated peroxide of iron is a 
soft, moist, reddish-brown magma, which acts as an anti- 
dote to arsenious acid, by forming with it an insoluble, 
inert subarseniate of protoxide of iron. The dose is about 
twelve times the supposed amount of poison taken, and it 
should be given in the fresh and pulpy state, as it gradually 
loses its antidotical virtues when kept. The subcarbonate 
(sesquioxide) of iron also acts as an antidote, but is much less 
powerful than the pulpy hydrate. Light magnesia (which 
has not been too strongly calcined), and freshly-precipi- 
tated gelatinous magnesia, may be also used as antidotes. 



PREPARATIONS OF ARSENIC. 281 

The after-treatment consists in the use of demulcents, opi- 
ates, local bloodletting, and, if necessary, stimulants. 

Medicinal Uses. — Arsenious acid is a very valuable altera- 
tive remedy, but it must be exhibited with caution. It is 
employed with the greatest success in the treatment of pe- 
riodical affections, as intermittent fevers, especially such as 
have resisted the use of bark, or frequently reappeared ; 
in chronic cutaneous affections, particularly the scaly diseases 
(lepra, psoriasis, and pityriasis) ; also in certain affections of 
the nervous system, chorea in particular, over which it exer- 
cises a marked control ; and in the tertiary forms of syphi- 
lis. As an external application, arsenious acid has been ap- 
plied to indolent sinuses, lupus, onychia maligna, &c, either 
pure or mixed with several parts of sulphur ; its use is, 
however, attended, with danger of constitutional effects. 
It is an ingredient of various empirical compounds, em- 
ployed in the treatment of cancer. 

Administration. — Dose, gr. Jg to y 1 ^, in pills with bread- 
crumb, three times a day, to be reduced when conjuncti- 
vitis appears, and suspended after the establishment of the 
oedema arsenicalis ; and, after being taken a fortnight, it 
should always be intermitted for a day or two. It is less 
apt to occasion gastric irritability, when given immedi- 
ately after a meal. The usual and safer form of exhibit- 
ing this remedy, is that of solution with potash, in the — 

Liquor Potasses Arsenitis {Solution of Arsenite of Po- 
tassa), or Fowler's Solution. This is prepared by boiling 
arsenious acid with a solution of carbonate of potassa — 
spirit of lavender being added to the solution when cold. 
It is a transparent liquid, of an alkaline reaction, and has 
the color, taste, and smell of spirit of lavender. It is de- 
composed by the reagents which act upon arsenic, and is 
incompatible with infusions and decoctions of cinchona. 
Its effects and uses are analogous to those of arsenious acid, 
though some practitioners have denied their therapeutic 
identity. The antidote is the subacetate of the sesquioxide 
of iron, which renders inert all the salts of the acids of 



282 . MATERIA MEDICA. 

arsenic. Dose, gtt. v to gtt. x, and even gtt. xx, three 
times a day. Each fluidrachm contains half a grain of 
arsenious acid. A solution of arsenite of soda has also been 
employed. 

Arsenici Iodidum (Iodide of Arsenic), made by rubbing 
iodine and arsenic together, is a teriodide, consisting of 
one eq. of arsenic and three eq. of iodine. It is an orange- 
red, crystalline, volatilizable solid, wholly soluble in water, 
and has been used both internally and externally in skin dis- 
eases. Dose, gr. J, three times a day; for external use, 
gr. iij to lard gj. 

Liquor Arsenici et Hydrargyri Iodidi (Solution of 'Io- 
dide of Arsenic and Mercury). This solution, known as 
Donovan's Solution, is prepared by boiling equal weights of 
iodide of arsenic and red iodide of mercury in distilled 
water. It is considered by some chemists to be merely an 
aqueous solution of the two iodides ; by others, a solution 
of hydriodates of the oxides of the two metals. It has a 
pale-yellow color, a slightly styptic taste, and is incompati- 
ble w T ith the salts of morphia. 

Effects and Uses. — This is a highly valuable alterative 
preparation, in the various forms of papular and scaly cu- 
taneous affections. It was introduced by Mr. Donovan, of 
Dublin, in 1839, and has been a good deal employed in the 
United States. Dose, gtt. v to gtt. xx or more, three times 
a day. 

CALCIS PHOSPHAS PRJECIPITATA — PRECIPITATED 
PHOSPHATE OF LIME. 

This salt is made by reacting upon bone-ash with mu- 
riatic acid, which dissolves the phosphate of lime in the 
bones, and gives it up again, on the addition of ammonia. 
It is a white, inodorous, tasteless, insoluble powder. It 
has been, for some years past, employed in connection with 
other phosphates, as those of iron, soda, and potassa, in 
scrofula and phthisis, under a theoretical view that there 



CHLORATE OF POTASSA. 283 

is a deficienc} 7 of phosphorus in the system in these dis- 
eases. An ample supply of the phosphates is, however, 
derived from the food, although they may prove useful 
medicinally, from other causes. Dose, ten to thirty grains. 

AMMONIA MUKIAS — MURIATE OF AMMONIA. 

This salt, commonly termed sal ammoniac, is obtained 
from the gas-liquor of coal gas works, and also in the pre- 
paration of animal charcoal from bones. It is brought in 
the crude state from Calcutta to England, where it is refined 
and exported. It occurs in white, translucent, tough, 
fibrous, hemispherical, convex-concave cakes, about two 
inches thick, difficult to powder, inodorous, of a pungent, 
saline taste, slightly deliquescent, very soluble in water, and 
less so in alcohol. It consists of one eq. of muriatic acid 
and one of ammonia, and is considered by some chemists 
to be a chloride of ammonium. 

Effects and Uses. — The local action of muriate of ammo- 
nia is that of an irritant. In large doses it purges. In 
small doses, after absorption, it proves a powerful resol- 
vent alterative, with a slight sedative action on the vascu- 
lar system, and an increased flow of the secretions gene- 
rally. It is not much employed in Great Britain or the 
United States, but it is extensively used in Germany — as a 
refrigerant sedative in mild fevers attended with stoppage 
of the secretions — as a resolvent in organic enlargements — 
in amenorrhoea — and in catarrhs, urethritis, &c. Dose, gr. 
v-xxx, every two or three hours, in powder or mucilagi- 
nous solution. Externally, it is used in solution (immedi- 
ately upon being dissolved), as a refrigerant lotion, and 
also as a discutient. 

POTASSES CHLORAS — CHLORATE OF POTASSA. 

This salt is prepared by various processes : a good one 
is by reacting upon solution of caustic potassa, mixed with 



284: MATERIA MEDICA. 

lime, with a stream of chlorine — the chlorine is converted 
into chloric acid by oxygen from the lime, and the acid 
combines with the potassa to form chlorate of potassa. It 
is a white anhydrous salt, crystallizing in rhomboidal plates 
of a pearly lustre, and is inodorous, and of a cool, saline 
taste. It is but little changed by exposure to the air, so- 
luble in cold water, nighty so in boiling water. It is said 
to be soluble in all the animal fluids without decomposing 
them, or undergoing change itself. 

Effects and Uses. — Chlorate of potassa, when taken inter- 
nally, gives a bright arterial tinge to the venous blood, re- 
duces the volume and frequency of the pulse, and largely 
increases the secretion of urine, by which it passes out of 
the system unchanged. The appetite is improved under 
its use, and salivation is an occasional effect. Large doses 
may be taken with impunity, but excessive quantities have 
produced fatal gastro-enteric inflammation. As it con- 
tains a large supply of oxygen, it was at first employed, 
with a view to its oxidizing influence in contaminated con- 
ditions of the blood, as in malignant fevers, syphilis, &c. ; 
and, whatever the modus medendi, it is still considered a 
valuable alterative in typhus, scarlatina, &c. Probably, 
its most positive remedial effects are seen in various forms 
of stomatitis, follicular, mercurial, and gangrenous. It is 
also used in diphtheria, croup, and cyanosis. Externally, in 
solution, it is an admirable wash or gargle in stomatitis, 
ozcena, the sore-throat of scarlatina, diphtheria, and fetid 
ulcerated surfaces generally. Dose, internally, fifteen to 
thirty grains, every three or four hours, in some pleasant 
vehicle. For external use, 5ij-iv may be dissolved in half 
a pint of water. 



POTASS^ BICIIROMAS — BICHROMATE OF POTASSA. 

This salt is obtained from the yellow chromate of po- 
tassa by acidulating its solution with sulphuric acid, which 



PERMANGANATE OF POTASSA. 285 

abstracts an eq. of potassa from two eq. of the neutral salt, 
and thus generates the bichromate ; it separates in orange- 
red crystals, soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol, and of 
a cooling, bitter taste. 

Effects and Uses. — It is an irritant caustic, acting in over- 
doses as a corrosive poison, for which the proper antidotes 
are magnesia, soap, and the alkaline carbonates. In small 
doses, it is alterative, and has been used in syphilis, with 
encouraging results. In large doses, it is emetic. Exter- 
nally, it is a good application, in powder, or in saturated 
solution, to syphilitic warts, excrescences, &c. Dose, as 
an alterative, gr. i, daily, in pill, with some bitter extract; 
as an emetic, gr. f. 



POTASSiE PERMANGANAS — PERMANGANATE OF 

POTASSA. 

This salt is made by heating together the black or bin- 
oxide of manganese with caustic potassa; the binoxide 
is converted into manganic acid, which combines with the 
potassa, to produce permanganate. It occurs in the form 
of slender prismatic crystals, of a dark-purple color, ino- 
dorous, and of a sweetish astringent taste. It dissolves 
readily in water, making a beautiful lilac solution. 

Effects and Uses. — There is little experience, as regards 
the effects of this salt, when administered internally, al- 
though alterative effects are attributed to it (and probably 
with reason), in poisoned conditions of the blood, as in 
malignant fevers, &c. It is as a powerful disinfectant, that it 
at present claims chief attention, and it now ranks at the 
head of this class of agents, in destroying fetid odors, and 
poisonous organic emanations. It is used externally, in 
dressing foul and fetid or gangrenous ulcers, particularly 
in hospital gangrene, as a gargle in diphtheria, &c. It may 
be sprinkled in powder on gangrenous surfaces, or applied 
in solution, of the strength of half an ounce, an ounce, or 



286 MATERIA MEDICA. 

two ounces to a pint of water. As a disinfectant, a solution 
of from one to ten grains to an ounce of water is employed. 
One to three grains may be given internally in solution, 
through the day. 



CALX CHLORINATA — CHLORINATED LIME. 

This preparation, often called chloride of lime, is prepared 
by passing chlorine over lime, till saturation is effected, 
and occurs as a loose, grayish-white powder, readily solu- 
ble in water, of a bitter, caustic taste, and a faint odor of 
chlorine. It has been used as an alterative, in typhus, ma- 
lignant scarlatina, syphilis, &c, in doses of from one to 
five grains in solution, several times a day ; and as a wash, 
externally, one part dissolved in a hundred parts of wa- 
ter — or as a paste. It is chiefly, however, as a disinfectant 
that it is employed. It decomposes hydrosulphuric and 
hydrocyanic acids, and should not be given with mercurials. 

Liquor Sovm CHLORiNATiE [Solution of Chlorinated Soda), 
sometimes termed Labarraque's disinfecting liquid, is made 
by decomposing a solution of carbonate of soda by one 
of chlorinated lime. It is a transparent, greenish-yellow 
liquid, with a faint smell of chlorine, a sharp saline taste, 
and an alkaline reaction. It has been used internally, to 
fulfil the same indications as chlorinated lime, in doses of 
thirty drops to a teaspoonful, diluted, several times a day. 
It is useful also in dilution of various strengths, as an ex- 
ternal application to every form of fetid ulcer, and it is a 
most valuable and powerful disinfectant. 



ORDER III.— ANTACIDS. 

Antacids are medicinal agents, employed to neutralize 
acids in the blood, primae vise, and secretions. The alka- 
lies and alkaline earths, and their carbonates, are the sub- 



antacids; 287 

stances included in this division. The alkalies, in the con- 
centrated state, destroy organization and act as corrosive 
poisons; they are administered internally, only in a state 
of extreme dilution. The alkaline carbonates produce a 
less intense chemical action on the tissues than the alka- 
lies ; and the bicarbonates are less active than the mono- 
carbonates. The alkaline earths, particularly magnesia, 
are less energetic in their local action than the alkalies 
proper; and their carbonates manifest little or no chemi- 
cal influence over the tissues. 

When swallowed in a state of dilution, the alkaline pre- 
parations combine with the free acids which they encoun- 
ter in the stomach. The salts which are thus formed, un- 
less carried off by the bowels, are absorbed into the blood, 
and are thrown out by the secretions, especially by the 
kidneys. While in the stomach, besides neutralizing acids, 
the alkalies also promote the digestion and absorption of 
fatty substances, by forming with them an emulsion. 
After absorption, they exert a liquefacient action on the 
blood, and render the urine alkaline. Their long-continued 
use disorders the functions of digestion and nutrition, pro- 
duces a chronic deterioration of the blood, and sets up a 
cachectic condition somewhat analogous to scurvy. 

In the concentrated form, the alkalies are employed as es- 
charotics. The various alkaline preparations are adminis- 
tered internally, in the diluted form : 1. As antacids, in dys- 
pepsia, accompanied with excess of acid in the primee viae, 
and they are probably also of advantage, in dyspeptic 
cases, by promoting the digestion of fatty matters. The 
neutralization of acid, in dyspepsia, by the alkaline prepa- 
rations, is chiefly palliative; although their continued use 
often diminishes temporarily the tendency to acid secre- 
tion. The vegetable tonics and aromatics are frequently 
combined with, antacids, very advantageously, in the treat- 
ment of dyspepsia. 2. As antidotes, in cases of poisoning 
from acids. 3. As antilithics, to neutralize lithic acid, when 
it is separated in undue quantity by the urine ; and, also, 



288 MATERIA MEDICA. 

as lithontriptics, or solvents of calculi, especially lithates. 
They are improper when there is a tendency to the depo- 
sition of phosphates. 4. In the treatment of acute rheu- 
matism and gout, where they act by neutralizing the excess 
of acid, with which the blood is charged in these diseases. 
5. To relieve irritability of the urinary organs — cutaneous 
irritation — uterine irritation — pruritus ani, &c, — when 
these conditions of irritability are dependent, as is often 
the case, on excess of acid in the system. 6. As diuretics 
(see p. 224). 7. As anaplastics and resolvents, in inflam- 
mation. 

The antacid preparations should be administered in a 
state of large dilution, with a view to facilitate their ab- 
sorption, and to prevent an irritant and purgative action 
on the bowels. 



POTASSiE PRiEPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF P0TASSA. 

The preparations of potassa, employed as antacids, are 
the Solution of Potassa, Carbonate of Potassa, and Bicarbo- 
nate of Potassa. Besides their antacid, anaplastic, and diu- 
retic uses, the salts of potassa have been administered the- 
rapeutically in the treatment of scurvy. This employment 
of them is based upon the opinion, that scurvy is the result 
of a deficiency of potash in the food; and that by the ex- 
hibition of some saline preparation of these alkalies, the 
necessary alimentary ingredient is restored. 

Liquor Potassa (Solution of Potassa), is prepared by the 
action of lime on a solution of bicarbonate of potassa ; the 
lime abstracts carbonic acid from the carbonate, and preci- 
pitates as carbonate of lime, leaving the free potassa in 
solution ; or it may be made, more directly, by dissolving 
a troyounce of potassa in a pint of distilled water. Solu- 
tion of potassa is a limpid, colorless liquid, without smell, 
of an acrid, caustic taste, and an alkaline reaction. 

Effects and Uses. — The antacid, diuretic, antilithic, and 



PREPARATIONS OF POTASSA. 289 

resolvent properties and indications of this preparation 
have been described above. It is more irritant to the sto- 
mach than the carbonates of potassa, and is therefore less 
eligible for protracted use. In excessive quantity, it may 
act as an irritant and corrosive poison ; oils and vegetable 
acids should be administered as antidotes. Dose, gtt. x- 
xx, largely diluted with sweetened water or mucilage. 
Externally, it is used, in a diluted state, as. a stimulant 
lotion. 

Potassa Carbonas [Carbonate of Potassa). This salt, as 
usually kept in the shops, is prepared by the purification 
of the impure carbonate of potassa, known as pearlash, 
which is obtained from wood-ashes, by lixiviation. Car- 
bonate of potassa occurs in the form of a white, coarse, 
granular powder, of a nauseous, alkaline taste, and an 
alkaline reaction, — very soluble in water, but insoluble in 
alcohol. It is very deliquescent, forming, if long exposed 
to the air, an oily liquid with the water which it attracts. 
It consists of one equivalent of carbonic acid, one of po- 
tassa, and two or three equivalents of water. Acids, acidu- 
lous salts, and many other substances, are incompatible 
with it. It is employed as an antacid, diuretic, antilithic, 
&c, in the dose of gr. x-xx, in some sweetened aromatic 
water. In large quantities, it acts as a corrosive poison, 
for which oils and vegetable acids are the antidotes. 

As the purified pearlash of the shops is always more or 
less impure, a better salt for internal use is — 

PoTASSiE Carbonas Pura (Pure Carbonate of Potassa), 
commonly called Salt of Tartar, from its having been for- 
merly obtained from cream of tartar. It is now made by 
calcining bicarbonate of potassa, which is thus deprived 
of its water of crystallization and an equivalent of car- 
bonic acid, and is reduced to the state of carbonate. It 
differs from purified pearlash only in containing no impuri- 
ties. 

Potass^e Bicarbonas (Bicarbonate of Potassa), is made by 
/ 19 



290 MATERIA MEDIC A. 

passing carbonic acid through an aqueous solution of car- 
bonate of potassa, till it is fully saturated. By nitration 
and evaporation, it is obtained in transparent, colorless 
crystals, having the shape of irregular eight-sided prisms 
with two-sided summits. They are inodorous, of a slight 
alkaline taste, permanent in the air, soluble in water, in- 
soluble in alcohol, and consist of two equivalents of car- 
bonic acid, one of potassa, and one of water. The effects 
and uses of this salt are the same as those of the* carbonate, 
but it is pleasanter in taste and less irritant to the stomach. 
Dose, 3j to 5j. In acute rheumatism, this dose may be re- 
peated every hour or two. 



SOD^E PR^PARATA — PREPARATIONS OF SODA. 

Liquor Sod^i (Solution of Soda), is prepared by the action 
of lime on a solution of carbonate of soda. Its properties 
are the same as those of solution of potassa. 

The only preparations of soda, generally employed as 
antacids, are the carbonates. There are three sources of car- 
bonated soda, viz. : native soda, the ashes of marine plants, 
and sulphate of soda. The native carbonate (called natron) 
is found in Egypt, Hungary, and other countries. Impure 
soda, obtained from the ashes of marine plants, is termed 
barilla or kelp, — barilla, when it is derived from phenoga- 
mous plants growing near the sea, and kelp, when procured 
from cryptogamic plants growing in the sea. Carbonate 
of soda is now, however, chiefly made by artificial means, 
from sulphate of soda, which is obtained in part from the 
manufacturers of chlorinated lime, but principally by the 
action of sulphuric acid on chloride of sodium. The sul- 
phate of soda is fused with ground limestone and coal, and 
forms a black mass called British barilla, which consists of 
a mixture of oxysulphuret of calcium, caustic lime, and 
coaly matter, with carbonate of soda. It is afterwards 
purified by lixiviation, calcination, and other processes. 



PREPARATIONS OF SODA. 291 

By another process, artificial soda is made by decomposing 
the sulphate with sesquioxide of iron and coal. 

SobvE Carbonas [Carbonate of Soda), crystallizes in large, 
oblique, rhombic prisms, which are transparent, very efflo- 
rescent, of an alkaline, disagreeable taste, soluble in water, 
but insoluble in alcohol. When heated, they undergo the 
watery fusion, and part with their water of crystallization, 
which is entirely expelled at a red heat. The chemical 
composition of the salt is one equivalent of carbonic acid 
and one of soda ; and perfect crystals have ten equivalents 
of water of crystallization. It is apt to contain sulphate 
of soda and common salt as impurities. Acids, acidulous 
salts, lime-water, earthy and metallic salts, &c, are incom- 
patible with carbonate of soda. 

Effects and Uses. — Carbonate of soda is less irritant, and 
has a milder and more agreeable taste, than carbouate of 
potash. Its effects are otherwise similar, and it is admin- 
istered in the same cases. In overdoses, it is a corrosive 
poison, for which oils and acids are the antidotes. Dose, 
gr. x to 5ss, in powder, or dissolved in some bitter infu- 
sion. Owing to the variable quantity of water of crystal- 
lization which it contains, as kept in the shops, it is best 
given in the dried state. 

Sodm Carbonas Exsiccata (Dried Carbonate of Soda). 
This salt is deprived of its water of crystallization by heat, 
and occurs in the form of a white powder. Dose, gr. v— 
xv, in pill, made with soap and aromatics. 

Sod^i Bicarbonas (Bicarbonate of Soda), is prepared by 
saturating the carbonate with carbonic acid. In the pro- 
cess followed in this country, the water contained in the 
carbonate, which is liberated during the progress of its 
saturation, is drained off. Thus obtained, the crystals have 
the form of the carbonate, but are opaque and porous. 
They usually occur in granular masses, of a snow-white 
color, which are found in the shops in the form of powder. 
It is a permanent salt, of a slightly alkaline taste, and con- 
sists of two eq. of carbonic acid, one of soda, and one of 



292 MATERIA MEDICA. 

water. By exposure to heat, it gradually parts with its 
carbonic acid, and at a red heat is converted into the an- 
hydrous carbonate. 

The effects and uses of this salt are the same as those of 
the carbonate, but it is less irritant and of a more agree- 
able taste. When administered as an antilithic, it is said 
to be less liable than the carbonate to induce phosphatic 
deposits. It has been used as a liquefacient, in infantile 
croup, in the dose of gr. j, every five minutes, to promote 
the expulsion of false membrane. Dose, for an adult, gr. 
x to 5ss, which may be pleasantly taken in carbonic acid 
water, or made into lozenges with sugar and mucilage of 
tragacanth. Soda Powders consist of tartaric acid (gr. xxv) 
in one paper, and bicarbonate of soda (gr. xxx) in another. 
They are dissolved in separate portions of water, to the 
amount of half a pint in all, and, when mixed, form a 
pleasant effervescing draught. Bicarbonate of soda is an 
ingredient also of Seidlitz Powders (see p. 202). 



LITHIA PR^EPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF LITHIA. 

Lithia is a rare alkali, found -in a few minerals. ' The 
carbonate (lithice carbonos) is prepared from lepidolite, or 
from sulphate of lithia or chloride of lithium, by adding 
carbonate of ammonia. It is a white powder, of a mild 
alkaline taste, soluble in 100 parts of water, more soluble 
in carbonic acid water, and insoluble in alcohol. It con- 
sists of one eq. of lithia and one of carbonic acid. 

It is a very valuable antacid in gout, from the fact of its 
low combining number, and the great solubility of the 
urate of lithia, thus enabling the carbonate to act power- 
fully in eliminating uric acid from the system. It is also 
a good diuretic. Dose, three to five grains, best given in 
carbonic acid water. 

Lithia Citras [Citrate of Lithia), a deliquescent white 
powder, is made by adding a solution of citric acid to the 



PREPARATIONS OF LIME. 293 

carbonate of lithia. It is converted into a carbonate in the 
system, and is, therefore, possessed of the same properties. 



AMMONIA PRJPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF 

AMMONIA. 

The preparations of ammonia (previously noticed under 
the head of Stimulants , p. 150), are administered as ant- 
acids, in cases in which a stimulant action is not objection- 
able. Spiritus Ammonim Aromaticus (Aromatic Spirit of Am- 
monia), is the preparation usually employed, and is an 
excellent antacid carminative in heartburn, attended with 
flatulence, nausea with syncope, &c. Dose, gtt. xxx-f'5j. 



MAGNESIA PR^PARATA — PREPARATIONS OF 
MAGNESIA. 

Magnesia (p. 196), and its Carbonate (p. 197), are em- 
ployed as antacids in dyspepsia, sick-headache, gravel, &c, 
particularly where a laxative effect is also desirable. Dose, 
gr. x-xxx. 



CALCIS PRiEPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF LIME. 

The preparations of lime, employed as antacids, are 
Lime-water, Precipitated Carbonate of Lime, Prepared Chalk, 
and Prepared Oyster-shell. They are very useful in cases of 
acidity or irritability of the stomach, but their action on 
the bowels is the reverse of that of magnesia, and hence 
they can hardly be administered where there is a tendency 
to constipation. They are also much employed in diar- 
rhoea, and occasionally as alterative resolvents in glandular 
enlargements, and as antispasmodics in nervous disorders. 

Liquor Calcis (Solution of Lime — Lime-water), is a satu- 



294 MATERIA MEDICA. 

rated solution of lime (four troyounces) in distilled, river, 
or rain water (eight pints). It is a colorless, inodorous 
liquid, of a disagreeable alkaline taste. By exposure to 
the air it gradually absorbs carbonic acid, with the forma- 
tion of insoluble carbonate of lime. It should, therefore, 
be kept in full, well-stoppered bottles, or they should con- 
tain some undissolved lime. 

Effects and Uses. — Lime-water combines antacid and 
astringent properties, and is applicable to all the cases in 
which antacids are proper, where an astringent effect on 
the bowels is not objectionable. It is an excellent remedy 
in gastric irritability, attended with nausea and vomiting, 
and may be given mixed with an equal part of milk, which 
disguises its unpleasant taste. A diet of milk and lime- 
water is very useful in dyspepsia, accompanied with vomit- 
ing of food. Lime-water is employed also in diarrhoea, 
after inflammation has been subdued, in diabetes, and as 
an alterative resolvent in glandular affections. Exter- 
nally, it is used as a wash in tinea capitis, prurigo, scabies, 
&c, as an application to foul ulcers, and as an injection in 
leucorrhcea and gleet. Dose, internally, fgss to f§iij-iv, 
several times a day; for children f5j. Linhnentum Calcis 
(eight nuidounces of lime-water, mixed with seven' troy- 
ounces of flaxseed oil) is an invaluable liniment in burns 
and scalds. 

Calcis Carbonas Pr^cipitata (Precipitated Carbonate of 
Lime), is made by mixing boiling solutions of chloride of 
calcium and carbonate of soda. It is a fine white powder, 
insoluble in water, and free from grittiness, but possessing 
no superiority over prepared chalk. 

Creta Pr^iparata (Prepared Chalk), is made from chalk 
or whiting, by levigation and elutriation. It occurs in little 
white conical loaves, which are tasteless, odorless, insolu- 
ble in water, but more soluble in carbonic acid water. It 
consists of one eq. of carbonic acid and one of lime. Its 
effects are those of an absorbent, antacid, and desiccant 
astringent. It is used in dyspepsia and gout, attended with 



RUBEFACIENTS. 295 

an excess of acid in the system ; also in diarrhoea ; and, as 
it forms soluble salts of lime with the acids of the stomach, 
its employment has been suggested in rachitis. Dose, gr. 
x-xxx, in powder, or suspended in water with gum and 
sugar. Mistura Cretce (Chalk Mixture), consists of chalk 
(half a troyounce), rubbed up with sugar and gum arabic 
(each 5\j), and water and cinnamon-water (each f§iv). 
Dose, fjss, repeated. Laudanum and tincture of kino, or 
of catechu, are often added to this mixture, in the treat- 
ment of diarrhoea. Troches of Chalk are made with gum 
arabic, sugar, and nutmeg. 

Testa Pr^iparata (Prepared Oyster-shell), differs from 
prepared chalk, in containing animal matter united with 
the carbonate of lime, and is thought to be more accepta- 
ble to a delicate stomach. Dose, gr. x-xxx. 



CLASS IV. — TOPICAL MEDICINES. 
ORDER I. — IRRITANTS. 

Irritants are medicines which are employed to produce 
irritation or inflammation of the parts to which they are 
applied. They may be subdivided into Rubefacients, 
Epispastics, Suppurants, and Escharotics. Rubefacients 
are used merely to produce redness of the skin. Epispas- 
tics, or vesicants, cause the exhalation of a serous fluid 
under the cuticle. Suppurants produce a crop of pustules. 
Escharotics have a chemical action on the tissues with 
which they are placed in contact, and decompose or 
destroy them. 



rubefacients. 



Rubefacients are employed to remove congestion and 
inflammation, to rouse the capillary system in cases of 
local torpor, to relieve pain and spasm, and as stimulants 



296 MATERIA MEDICA. 

to the general system, in coma, syncope, asphyxia, &c. 
They are adapted to cases in which a sudden and powerful 
but transient action is called for ; but they may also be 
employed, where a slight and long-continued action is 
desired. In removing congestion and inflammation, rube- 
facients act by revulsion. They are chiefly useful in the 
forming stages, or in light grades of inflammation. They 
are very serviceable local anodynes, when applied to pain- 
ful parts — acting by a substitutive influence. As general 
stimulants, their efficacy in rousing the system depends 
partly on their action on the capillary circulation, and 
partly on the pain which they produce. They are most 
valuable in the coma or asphyxia resulting from poisons, 
drowning, &c, and are inferior to blisters in the cerebral 
oppression, which occurs in fevers, inflammations of the 
brain, &c. 

Rubefacients are usually applied till pain and redness 
supervene. If kept too long on the skin, many of them 
will produce vesication and even gangrene ; and, in cases 
of coma, particular caution is required, as the patient may 
not feel them till dangerous inflammation has occurred. 



SINAPIS — MUSTARD. 

Mustard-seeds are obtained from two varieties of Sina- 
pis, — S. nigra, or Black Mustard, and S. alba, or White 
Mustard {Nat Ord. Brassicacese), small annual European 
plants, cultivated in our gardens. S. nigra has become 
naturalized in some parts of the United States. Black 
mustard-seeds are small, globular, of a deep-brown color 
externally, and internally yellow. They are inodorous, 
except in powder ; and, when rubbed with water, exhale 
a very strong, pungent smell. Their taste is bitterish, hot, 
and pungent. White mustard-seeds are larger, yellowish 
externally, and of a less pungent taste, owing to the pre- 
sence of a mucilaginous substance in their skin. The 



MUSTARD., 297 

powder of both, varieties (commonly called flour of mustard), 
is yellow, and is often adulterated with colored wheaten 
flour. Both varieties yield their virtues wholly to water, 
and very slightly to alcohol. 

Chemical Constituents. — Mustard-seeds yield, upon pres- 
sure, a fixed oil, which contains a peculiar acid, termed 
erucic. From the black seeds a very pungent volatile oil, 
containing sulphur, is afterwards obtained by distillation : 
it does not pre-exist in the seeds, but is the result of the action of 
water upon a peculiar principle called sinapisin. It is colorless 
or pale yellow, rather heavier than water, of a very pun- 
gent odor, and an acrid, burning taste, and is the principle 
to which the black seeds owe their activity. From the 
white seeds no volatile oil is obtained; but, when treated 
with water, they yield an acrid fixed principle, which is ana- 
logous in properties to the volatile oil of the black seeds. 
It is the result of the reaction of water upon sulpho-sinajnsin, 
a peculiar ingredient of the white seeds. The develop- 
ment of the volatile oil in the black seeds, and of the acrid 
fixed principle in the white seeds, is supposed to depend 
upon the presence of an albuminous constituent, called 
myrosyne, which acts the part of a ferment in determining 
a reaction between water and the peculiar principles of the 
seeds. Myrosyne is rendered inert by heat, alcohol, and 
the acids ; and water of the ordinary temperature is there- 
fore the proper menstruum of mustard. 

Effects and Uses. — Mustard is an acrid stimulant. In 
small quantities, it is stomachic ; in larger doses, it proves 
emetic ; and, in excessive doses, it will produce gastro- 
enteric inflammation. When applied to the skin, it is a 
rapid and powerful local excitant, speedily producing red- 
ness and pain, and, if long continued, it will develop vesi- 
cation, ulceration, and even sphacelus. Mustard-seeds, 
swallowed whole, have been used as a laxative in dyspepsia, 
in the dose of a tablespoonful once or twice a day, mixed 
with molasses; the white seeds are preferred. When 
mustard is employed internally, however, it is chiefly as an 



298 MATERIA MEDICA. 

emetic, in cases of torpor of the stomach, particularly after 
narcotic poisoning ; and, by its stimulant action, mustard 
often rouses the gastric susceptibility when other emetics 
fail. Dose, as an emetic, from a large teaspoonful to a 
tablespoonful of the bruised seeds or powder. Its use in 
smaller quantity, as a condiment and stimulant of the di- 
gestive organs, is well known. In the form of whey (half 
a troy ounce boiled in milk Oj), it is given as a diuretic in 
dropsy. The most general use of mustard is, however, as 
a cutaneous stimulant, in the form of cataplasm (termed a 
sinapism). This is made by mixing flour of mustard with 
a sufficient quantity of tepid water to give it proper con- 
sistence ; and it may be diluted with wheat or rye flour, if 
a weaker effect is desired. Sinapisms are used, when a 
speedy and powerful rubefacient effect is required : they 
should be kept on till pain and redness are produced, 
usually from a quarter of an hour to an hour, and, in cases 
of insensibility, their effects should be carefully watched. 
They are applied spread on linen, and covered with gauze, 
to prevent adhesion to the skin. 



CAPSICUM. 

Capsicum has been previously noticed as an aromatic 
stimulant (p. 152). It is a powerful rubefacient, useful in 
rheumatism, low fevers, &c, and is applied in the form of 
cataplasm, or the tincture or oleoresin may be used. 



OLEUM TEREBINTHIN^! — OIL OF TURPENTINE. 

The oil of turpentine (see pp. 157, 242), is a speedy and 
efficacious rubefacient, and sometimes produces a vesicular 
eruption. It is employed in low forms of disease, attended 
with coldness of the surface ; as a counter-irritant in inflam- 



BURGUNDY PITCH. 299 

mation ; and as a stimulating liniment in rheumatic and 
paralytic cases. It is often diluted with olive oil. 



LINIMENTUM AMMONIA — LINIMENT OF AMMONIA. 

This preparation, called also volatile liniment, consists of 
one fluidounce of water of ammonia (see p. 150), and two 
troyounces of olive oil. It is an excellent application, as 
a counter-irritant, in affections of the throat and chest, &c. 



PIX BURGUNDICA — BURGUNDY PITCH. 

This is the prepared concrete juice of Ahies excelsa or 
Norway Spruce (Nat. Ord. Pinacese), a lofty evergreen tree 
of Europe and Northern Asia. Ahies picea, or the Euro- 
pean Silver Fir, is said to be also a source of the drug. It 
is obtained by stripping off the bark and detaching the 
flakes of resinous matter which form upon the surface of 
the wound ; they are afterwards melted in boiling water 
and strained. Burgundy pitch is principally collected in 
France, and derives its name from Burgundy, in that king- 
dom. After it is imported into the United States, it is 
generally remelted and strained, to free it from impuri- 
ties ; and, as found in the shops, it is a hard, brittle, opaque 
substance, of a yellowish or brownish-yellow color, and a 
weak terebinthinate taste and smell; when applied to the 
body, it softens and becomes adhesive. It contains two 
resins, and. a much smaller proportion of volatile oil than 
turpentine. 

A spurious Burgundy pitch is made by melting together 
pitch, resin, and turpentine, and agitating the mixture 
with water. 

^Effects and Uses.— This is a gentle rubefacient, producing 
a slight degree of inflammation and serous effusion, with- 
out separating the cuticle. It occasionally produces a papil- 



300 MATERIA MEDICA. 

larj or vesicular eruption ; and sometimes, though rarely, 
occasions painful vesication and even ulceration. It-is ap- 
plied, in the form of plaster, to the chest in chronic pulmo- 
nary disorders, to the loins in lumbago, to the joints in 
chronic articular affections, and for the relief of local rheu- 
matic pains in other parts. 

Emplastrum Picis Burgundicce (Burgundy Pitch Plaster), 
consists of twelve parts of Burgundy pitch, melted with 
one part of yellow wax, which is used to give consistence 
to the pitch. Emplastrum Picis cum. Cantharide (Plaster of 
Pitch with Cantharides), consists of twelve parts of Bur- 
gundy pitch, melted with one part of cerate of cantharides; 
this is commonly called the wanning plaster, and is a more 
active rubefacient than Burgundy pitch, though it does not 
usually blister. The Plaster of Antimony, Plaster of Iron, 
Compound Galbanum Plaster, and Opium Plaster, all contain 
Burgundy pitch. 



PIX CANADENSIS — CANADA PITCH. 

This is the prepared concrete juice of Abies Cana- 
densis, or Hemlock Spruce (Nat Ord. Pinacese), a very 
lofty evergreen tree of Canada and the northern parts o 
the United States. The pitch (sometimes called hemloc 
gum) is a spontaneous exudation on the old trees. Thv 
portions of bark upon which it hardens are stripped fron 
the tree and boiled, and the melted pitch is skimmed from 
the surface of the water. It undergoes a farther purifica- 
tion in the shops, by melting and straining, and is four 
in hard, brittle, opaque masses, of a dark yellowish-brov. 
color, a weak, peculiar odor, and scarcely any taste. It 
more readily softened by heat than Burgundy pitch, and is 
therefore sometimes a less convenient application. Its con- 
stituents are resin, and a minute portion of volatile oil. 
Its effects and uses are the same as those of Burgundy pitch. 

Emplastrum. Picis Canadensis (Plaster of Canada Pitch), 



EPISPASTICS. 301 

sometimes called Hemlock Pitch Plaster, consists of twelve 
parts of Canada pitch, melted with one part of yellow wax. 

Many other acrid substances are occasionally employed 
as rubefacients. Ginger (see p. 158), Black Pepper (see p. 
153), and Garlic (see p. 239), are particularly deserving of 
mention. 



EPISPASTICS. 

Epispastics, called also vesicants and blisters, are medicines 
which, when applied to the skin, produce inflammation, 
accompanied by effusion of serum beneath the cuticle. 
Many of the rubefacients will blister, if kept on the skin 
a sufficient length of time ; and, on the other hand, the 
action of vesicants may be made not to extend beyond 
rubefaction. The inflammation of the skin, caused by 
vesicants, is erysipelatous in its character, and may result 
in suppuration and even sloughing or gangrene. In in- 
flammations of the dermoid tissues, as rubeola and scarla- 
tina, — in typhus under certain circumstances, and in ex- 
*eme infancy, — vesicants may produce fatal consequences. 
This class of agents is employed : 1. As derivatives or re- 
lents, for the relief of internal inflammations. By de- 
rmining the circulating fluid and the nervous energy to 
e seat of their action, vesicants exert a powerful influ- 
ice in the cure of distant inflammation. They are ob- 
ctionable in the early stages of acute inflammation, be- 
; febrile action has been' subdued, as they may excite 
•'vascular system, and thus increase the inflammation 
Ox ne affected organ. As regards the proper situation for 
applying vesicants, different theoretical opinions have been 
advanced ; but experience has shown that, for the relief of 
internal inflammation, they cannot be applied too near the 
affected organ. In affections of the head, blisters are pre- 
eminently useful. 2. To substitute a healthy therapeutic 



302 MATERIA MEDICA. 

inflammatory action, which subsides spontaneously, for a 
morbid action existing in the part to which they are ap- 
plied. In this way vesicants are used for the cure of va- 
rious cutaneous eruptions. 3. To relieve pain, which they 
do partly by a derivative, and partly by a substitutive in- 
fluence. 4. To break up morbid associations by the pow- 
erful impression which they make on the nervous system, 
as in the cure of intermittent fever, spasmodic diseases, 
&c. 5. To stimulate the absorbing or secreting vessels of 
parts contiguous to the seat of their application; in this 
way, they are useful in promoting the absorption of drop- 
sical effusions, in the treatment of ununited fracture, &c. 
6. As general stimulants, in typhoid conditions of the 
system, coma, syncope, &c. 7. As local stimulants in 
threatened gangrene, paralysis, &c. 8. As evacuants, 
chiefly for the purpose of local depletion. 9. In retroce- 
dent gout, and in retrocession of exanthematous eruptions. 
10. To prepare a surface for the endermic application of 
medicines. 



CANTHARIS — CANTHARIDES. 

Cantharis vesicatoria, or the Spanish Fly, is an insect 
from six to ten lines in length, by two or three in breadth, 
of a beautiful, shining, golden-green color. It is found 
most abundantly in Spain, Italy, and the south of France, 
but occurs in all the temperate parts of Europe, and in 
Western Asia. The Spanish flies swarm on certain trees 
and shrubs, and may be detected at a considerable distance 
by their strong, fetid odor, which resembles that of mice. 
They make their appearance in May and June, and are 
collected in these months by persons who beat or shake 
them from the trees on which they lodge, and receive them, 
as they fall, upon linen cloths spread underneath. They 
are plunged into hot vinegar and water, or exposed to the 
vapor of boiling vinegar, and are afterwards dried in the 



CANTHARIDES. 303 

sun or by drying stoves. When perfectly dry, they are 
packed in canisters, which are carefully closed so as to ex- 
clude atmospheric moisture. They are usually imported 
into this country from some Mediterranean port. A highly 
esteemed variety comes from South Russia, through St. 
Petersburg, which is distinguished by the larger size and 
copper color of the flies. 

In the dried state, Spanish flies retain their form, color, 
odor, &c. ; their taste is acrid, burning, and urinous ; their 
powder is of a grayish-brown color, interspersed with 
shining green particles. If exposed to moisture, they are 
soon decomposed, most speedily when powdered. As, 
moreover, the powder is liable to adulterations, they 
should always be purchased whole, and should be powder- 
ered as they are wanted for use. They are liable to be at- 
tacked by mites, which destroy the interior soft parts : the 
best mode of preserving them is to expose them, in bottles, 
to the heat of boiling water, which destroys the eggs of the 
insect. A little camphor or carbonate of ammonia, or a 
few drops of strong acetic acid or chloroform, added to the 
flies, are also recommended as preservatives. 

The most important constituents of cantharides are a vola- 
tile oil, upon which the odor depends, and a white, crys- 
talline substance, termed cantharidin, which is the vesicat- 
ing principle. Cantharidin is soluble in ether, chloroform, 
the oils, acetic acid, and boiling alcohol, and insoluble in 
water and cold alcohol; but, notwithstanding this insolu- 
bility of cantharidin, watery and alcoholic solutions of can- 
tharides possess the medicinal properties of the insect, — 
the cantharidin being rendered soluble by the combination 
in which it exists. 

Physiological Effects. — Cantharides are an acrid stimulant. 
Taken internally, in small doses, they excite the secretion 
of the kidneys, and produce more or less irritation of the 
genito-urinary passages, evinced by strangury, pain, and 
occasionally the discharge of bloody urine. In large doses 
they produce violent gastro-enteric and genito-urinary in- 



304 MATEEIA MEDICA. 

flammation ; and, in excessive doses, prove fatal, with con- 
vulsions, tetanus, delirium, and other cerebro-spinal symp- 
toms. Twenty-four grains have occasioned death. In 
cases of poisoning, after the stomach has been emptied, 
opiates, demulcents, topical depletion, &c, are to be re- 
sorted to. Applied to the skin, cantharides produce inflam- 
mation, which terminates in the free secretion of serum 
under the cuticle. Even when they are externally applied, 
their constitutional effects, as strangury, tenesmus, &c, 
are frequently manifested. 

Medicinal Uses. — The indications which cantharides are 
capable of fulfilling, when administered interncdly, as a diu- 
retic, emmenagogue, &c, have been already noticed (see 
p. 234). Their chief use is as an external application, to 
produce blisters; but they are sometimes also employed 
externally, as rubefacients, for the purpose of local or gene- 
ral stimulation in low forms of disease. Cantharides are 
preferred to all other substances as epispastics, and they are 
used for all the medicinal purposes that are within the 
range of this class of medicines. 

The following are the forms under which Spanish flies 
are used externally : 

Ceratum Cantharidis (Cerate of Cantharides), commonly 
known as Blistering Cerate, is made by mixing powdered 
cantharides (twelve parts) with melted wax, resin, and 
lard (each seven parts). This is the preparation usually 
employed to raise a blister. It can be applied without the 
aid of heat, and should be spread on soft leather or linen, 
and covered with gauze or unsized paper, to lessen the 
liability to strangury. From four to twelve hours is the 
period for which the cerate should be applied — on the 
scalp a longer application may be required. For an ordi- 
nary impression, and where the cutaneous sensibility is 
not impaired by disease, it need not be kept on more than 
four or ^.ve hours. In cases of children, less time is re- 
quired for the application of the cerate, and great caution 
is necessary in applying it to infants. A poultice of bread 



CANTHARIDES. 305 

and milk or flaxseed meal should be afterwards applied, 
which usually produces vesication, if the action of the 
blister has not extended beyond rubefaction. If it be de- 
sirable to heal the blistered surface immediately, cotton 
wadding or simple cerate may be placed over it, after the 
serum has been allowed to escape. To maintain the dis- 
charge, the cuticle should be removed, and basilicon oint- 
ment applied; if the surface require further irritation, 
the ointments of savine, mezereon, or cantharides may be 
used. In case of excessive pain, a poultice of bread-crumb 
and lead water, with gr. \ of sulphate of morphia mixed 
in it, or a starch poultice, or lime liniment, is a soothing 
application. Goulard's cerate is an excellent application 
to heal obstinate ulcers from blisters. For the relief of 
strangury, diluents and diuretics are proper, as flaxseed 
tea, with sweet spirit of nitre, decoction of uva ursi, &c. 
Ceratum Extracti Cantharidis (Cerate of Extract of Cantha- 
rides), differs chiefly from the common cerate in being 
made with an alcoholic extract of the flies instead of the 
flies themselves ; it is a new preparation and is said to be 
more active than the old. Ethereal, alcoholic, hydro-alcoholic, 
and watery extracts of Spanish flies, have been suggested 
as substitutes for the blistering cerate, and, mixed with wax 
and spread on thin cloth or paper, are termed vesicating 
taffetas. Unguentum Cantharidis (Ointment of Cantharides), 
made by boiling a troyounce of cantharides (digested in 
six fluidounces of olive oil) with a troyounce of yellow 
wax, is employed as a stimulating dressing to blistered 
surfaces, or to produce vesication on delicate skins ; it is no 
longer officinal, but it is a useful preparation. Linimentum 
Cantharidis (Liniment of Cantharides), consists of a troy- 
ounce of cantharides dissolved in eight fluidounces of oil 
of turpentine ; it is a prompt stimulating liniment in low 
fevers, and may be applied to the skin to prepare it for the 
action of the blistering cerate. Collodium cum Cantharide 
(Collodion with Cantharides), is made by dissolving gun-cot- 
ton in a mixture of alcohol and ether, which has been 

20 



306 MATERIA MEDICA. 

used to obtain the active properties of cantharides by per- 
colation. It is a colorless, transparent liquid, which, to 
prevent its evaporation, should be kept in well-stoppered 
bottles. It furnishes a very convenient mode of blistering 
a small or irregular surface, and is applied by means of a 
camePs-hair brush, in successive layers, which should be 
covered with a piece of oiled silk. 



CANTHARIS VITTATA — POTATO FLIES. 

Several species of Cantharis are found in the United 
States, and are good substitutes for C. vesicatoria. C. vit- 
tata, or the Potato Fly, is officinal. It resembles the Spa- 
nish fly in shape, but is rather smaller, being about six 
lines in length, and inhabits chiefly the potato plant. It 
contains cantharidin. 



AQUA AMMONIA — WATER OF AMMONIA. 

Water of Ammonia (see p. 150) may be used for the 
purpose of speedy vesication. The aqua ammonim fortior 
(see also p. 150), five parts, mixed with spirit of camphor, 
two parts, and spirit of rosemary, one part, has been used 
as a prompt vesicant, under the name of Granville's lotion. 
A piece of flannel, saturated with the liniment, is applied 
to the skin, which it will generally blister in from three to 
ten minutes. 



SUPPURANTS. 
OLEUM TIGLII — CROTON OIL. 

Croton oil (see p. 215), when rubbed on the skin, pro- 
duces rubefaction, accompanied by a pustular eruption. It 



ESOHAROTICS. 307 

is an excellent application to the throat and chest, in sub- 
acute or chronic laryngeal and bronchial affections, and to 
rheumatic joints. It may be applied undiluted, or mixed 
with one, two, or three parts of olive oil or oil of turpen- 
tine, according to the susceptibility of the skin. 



UNGUENTUM ANTIMONII — ANTIMONIAL OINTMENT. 

This ointment consists of one part of tartrate of anti- 
mony and potassa mixed with four parts of lard. The pe- 
culiar eruptive effects of tartar emetic have been already 
noticed (p. 170). It may be used in the form of ointment 
or solution, in the same cases as croton oil, but is a more 
painful and permanent application. 



ESCHAROTICS. 

Escharotics (from e^apa, an eschar), called also cauierants, 
are medicines which destroy the structure and vitality of 
the parts to which they are applied. The eschar, which 
their application produces, is followed by inflammation and 
suppuration in the surrounding tissues, by which the slough 
is separated from the living parts. 

They are employed : 1. To effect the destruction of mor- 
bid growths, warts, condylomata, polypi, fungous granula- 
tions, &c. 2. To decompose the virus of rabid and venom- 
ous animals, and of chancres. 3. For the cure of vio- 
lent inflammation, by their substitutive action, as when they 
are applied to the mucous or cutaneous surfaces, in gonor- 
rhoea! ophthalmia, erysipelas, poisoned parts, carbuncle, 
&c. 4. To stimulate indolent sinuses, ulcers, &c, where 
their influence is also of a substitutive character. 5. To 
open abscesses. 6. To form issues. 7. To remove mor- 
bid heterologous growths, as lupus, cancer, &c. 



308 MATERIA MEDICA. 



ARGENTI NITRAS FUSA — FUSED NITRATE OF 

SILVER. 

Lunar Caustic (described at length, p. 122), is the most 
commonly employed of the caustics. It has the advan- 
tage of not liquefying when applied, and its action is there- 
fore confined to the parts with which it is brought in con- 
tact. It is used to remove fungous granulations in wounds 
and ulcers, to destroy warts, to decompose and prevent the 
absorption of the syphilitic virus in chancres, to alter the 
action of indolent ulcers, sinuses, and fistulae, to subdue 
the inflammatory action of paronychia, erythema, &c, to 
arrest the progress of erysipelas and cancrum oris, to cut 
short variolous pustules, to cure skin diseases by a substitu- 
tive action, and in inflammations of mucous membranes. 
In dilutions of various strengths, it is resorted to in every 
variety of inflammation of the mucous membranes ; when 
a full impression is desired, a solution of gr. xx-xxx in 
distilled water fgj, maybe employed; for ordinary pur- 
poses, gr. ij to water fgj. 



POTASS A. 

Caustic Potassa is prepared by the rapid evaporation of 
Solution of Potassa (see p. 288) with heat. While in the 
state of fusion, it is received into cylindrical iron moulds, 
and it occurs in the form of sticks, of a brownish, grayish, 
or bluish color, a fibrous fracture, the odor of slaking lime, 
and a caustic, urinous taste. It dissolves in alcohol, and 
in less than its weight of water, and attracts both moisture 
and carbonic acid rapidly from the air. It is more or less 
impure as found in the shops. By digestion in alcohol, it 
is freed from impurities insoluble in this menstruum (as 
the carbonates of potassa), and it may be afterwards ob- 
tained quite white and pure by evaporation; it is then 



CHROMIC ACID. 309 

termed alcoholic potassa. The potassa of the shops is a 
hydrate, consisting of one eq. of water and one of potassa. 

Effects and Uses. — It is a very powerful escharotic, and 
differs from lunar caustic, in extending its action to a con- 
siderable depth beneath the surface to which it is applied. 
It is used chiefly to open abscesses and form issues, and 
sometimes also to arrest the sloughing of carbuncles. "When 
it is applied to the skin, this should be covered with linen 
spread with adhesive plaster, having a hole the size of the 
spot to be cauterized. A solution (5jss to f §ij of water), is 
used as a rubefacient. 

Potassa cum Calce (Potassa with Lime), is prepared by 
rubbing up equal parts of potassa and lime. It is made 
into a paste with a little alcohol, and is sometimes termed 
Vienna paste; it has also been formed into sticks. The 
presence of lime renders this a milder, less deliquescent, 
and more manageable caustic than potassa. 



ACIDUM CHEOMICUM — CHROMIC ACID. 

Chromic Acid is obtained by the reaction of sulphuric 
acid upon a solution of bichromate of potassa. It occurs 
in the form of anhydrous acicular crystals, of a crimson- 
red color, and an acid, metallic taste ; they are deliques- 
cent, and very soluble in water, with which they form an 
orange-yellow solution. 

Effects and Uses. — This is an escharotic of recent intro- 
duction into the Materia Medica. It is of unsurpassed 
power in this particular, decomposing the tissues by its 
rapid oxidizing action. Used in the form of paste, or solu- 
tion more or less dilute, it is a most efficacious application 
to morbid growths and excrescences, as syphilitic condylo- 
mata, &c. It gives less pain than other caustics ; but it is 
to be used with caution, especially to delicate parts like 
the eye, as its action is deeply penetrating. The solution 
may be made of the strength of from 100 grains up to a 



310 MATERIA MEDICA. 

tro jounce to a fluidounce of water ; and is to be applied 
by means of a pencil or glass rod. 



ACIDUM ARSENIOSUM — ARSENIOUS ACID. 

This is a powerful escharotic (see p. 278), and is occa- 
sionally applied in lupus, onychia maligna, cancerous 
ulcers, and to change the action of indolent sinuses ; but 
its use is attended with danger. It may be diluted with 
one or more parts of sulphur. 



ZINCI CHLORIDUM — CHLORIDE OF ZINC. 

This is also a powerful escharotic (see p. 120) ; and in 
addition to its corrosive properties, it appears to exercise 
a greater influence over the vital action of neighboring 
parts than some of the other caustics. The separation of 
its eschar leaves very healthy and vigorous granulations, 
and it is one of the best applications that can be made to 
intractable indolent ulcers and sinuses. It will cure lupus. 



LIQUOR HYDRARGYRI NITRATIS — SOLUTION OF 
NITRATE OF MERCURY. 

This preparation (see p. 270), termed also the acid nitrate 
of mercury, is a valuable caustic application to malignant 
ulcers, &c. 



HYDRARGYRI CHLORIDUM CORROSIVUM — CORROSIVE 
CHLORIDE OF MERCURY. 

Corrosive Sublimate is more frequently used as a stimulant 
wash than as a caustic. For its properties, uses, and modes 
of application, see p. 266. 



DEMULCENTS. 311 



POTASS^! BICHKOMAS — BICHROMATE OF POTASSA. 

This salt, already noticed under the head of alteratives 
(see p. 255), is a good caustic application, in saturated 
solution, or powder, to syphilitic and other vegetations. 



ACIDA MINEEALIA — MINERAL ACIDS. 

The mineral acids (see p. 123), are powerful escharotics, 
but are inconvenient for many uses, on account of the ex- 
tension of their action beyond the point of application. 
On the other hand, they can be made to reach the bottoms 
of sinuses and fistulse, which are inaccessible to the solid 
caustics. Nitric acid, for such purposes, has no equal in 
the list of escharotics; it is also used to destroy warts. 
Properly diluted, the mineral acids are employed as injec- 
tions, gargles, &c. ; and in the form of ointment in skin 
diseases. 

Sulphate or Copper (see p. 118), and Alum (see p. 145), 
are mild escharotics, but are chiefly used to remove fun- 
gous granulations in ulcers. The actual cautery and moxa 
have been alluded to under the head of Heat (see p. 20). 



ORDER II. — DEMULCENTS. 

Demulcents, or Lenitives, are medicines which soften and 
relax the tissues, and, when applied to irritated or inflamed 
surfaces, diminish heat, tension, and pain. They consist 
chiefly of gum, or mucilage, or of a mixture of these with 
saccharine and farinaceous substances, and form with 
water viscid solutions. Their constitutional effects are 
principally nutritive, though perhaps to some extent they 
relieve irritation in distant organs, by modifying the acri- 



312 MATERIA MEDICA. 

dity of the secretions. Demulcent solutions are adminis- 
tered internally: 1. To sheathe and protect the gastro- 
enteric surface from the injurious effects of irritating sub- 
stances — particularly acrid poisons. 2. To relieve irritation 
and inflammation of the alimentary canal, as in gastritis, 
enteritis, diarrhoea, and dysentery; and for this purpose 
they may be administered either by the mouth or rectum. 

3. In catarrhal affections, in which they are probably use- 
ful, in part by the transmission of their lubricating and 
soothing effects on the fauces and oesophagus by reflex 
action to the laryngeal and bronchial membranes, and in 
part by modifying the acridity of expectorated matters. 

4. In affections of the urinary passages, as ardor urinae, 
cystitis, &c, and, in these cases, they act chiefly by dimi- 
nishing the acridity of the secretions. 5. As agreeable 
drinks, to quench thirst and promote the action of the 
secreting and exhaling organs, in febrile affections. Their 
effects, in these cases, are owing partly to the water which 
they contain, to which they are added merely for the sake 
of flavor, and partly also to the nutrient which they fur- 
nish. When administered with the object of increasing 
the proportion of the fluid parts of the blood, demulcents 
are termed diluents. 6. As light diet for the sick. 7. For 
pharmaceutical purposes, to suspend substances insoluble 
in water, &c. 

Externally, mucilaginous solutions are extensively em- 
ployed, to relieve the heat, swelling, and pain of inflam- 
mations, wounds, burns, &c. ; to hasten suppuration, where 
inflammation is too far advanced for resolution; to cleanse 
foul and scabby ulcers ; to promote suppuration from gra- 
nulating surfaces, &c, &c. Mucilaginous and amylaceous 
substances are applied to inflamed and ulcerated parts, 
mixed with water so as to form soft masses, termed cata- 
plasms or poultices. These are useful vehicles of heat and 
moisture to the skin. Applied externally, this class of 
medicines is termed emollients. 



GUM ARABIC. 313 



ACACIA — GUM ARABIC. 

Gum Arabic is the concrete juice of Acacia vera, 
Acacia Arabica, and other species of Acacia (Nat. Ord. 
Fabacese), thorny or prickly trees or shrubs of Africa and 
Arabia. The gum exudes, either through natural cracks 
in the bark, or through incisions made to facilitate its 
exudation, and hardens on exposure. The most abundant 
yield is in the hot and dry weather, and is obtained from 
the sickliest trees. Several commercial varieties are known, 
as Turkey, Barbary, Senegal, India, &c, of which the two 
most important are Turkey gum, and Senegal gum. 1. 
Turkey gum comes from the Levant or other parts of the 
Mediterranean, and is the kind usually found in the shops. 
It consists chiefly of small, irregular fragments, inter- 
spersed with larger pieces, of a whitish color, which is 
sometimes slightly tinged with yellow or reddish-yellow. 
It is lighter-colored, more brittle, more readily soluble, and 
purer than other varieties, and is generally characterized 
by innumerable minute Assures pervading its substance. 
2. Senegal gum comes from the western coast of Africa. It 
occurs in roundish or oval unbroken pieces, larger, less 
brittle, and breaking with a more conchoidal fracture than 
those of Turkey gum, sometimes whitish, but generally 
yellowish, reddish, or brownish-red. 3. Barbary gum comes 
from Morocco ; it is derived, in part at least, from A. gum- 
mifera, and consists of two kinds, one resembling the 
Turkey, the other the Senegal gum. 4. India gum, though 
brought from India, is collected on the northeastern coast 
of Africa, and in the ports of the Red Sea. It is in pieces 
of varying size, color, and quality, and is often contami- 
nated with Bassora gum, which is insoluble in water. 
Gum is also imported into England from the Cape of Good 
Hope, and from Australia. All the varieties are more or 
less transparent, hard, brittle, and pulverizable, and form 
a white powder. They are inodorous, with a feeble, 



314 MATERIA MEDICA. 

slightly sweetish taste, and, when pure, dissolve wholly in 
the mouth. When kept in a dry place, they undergo no 
change by time. 

Chemical Constituents. — Gum Arabic consists almost 
wholly of a peculiar proximate principle, usually termed 
gum, but latterly designated by chemists as arabin. It is 
soluble in hot or cold water, forming a viscid solution, 
called mucilage, and is insoluble in alcohol, ether, and the 
oils. Alcohol precipitates gum from its aqueous solution; 
subacetate of lead (which is a delicate test), nitrate of lead, 
and solution of sesquichloride of iron also precipitate it 
from solution. Gums of inferior transparency and solu- 
bility contain bassorin, an inert principle, insoluble in wa- 
ter and alcohol. 

Effects and Uses. — Gum Arabic is extensively employed, 
internally, as a demulcent in gastro-enteric inflammation, 
diarrhoea, dysentery, cases of acrid poisoning, &c. ; as a 
lubricant to the fauces in catarrhal affections, and also as a 
vehicle for anodynes and expectorants in cough mixtures ; 
and as a diluent and bland nutritive in fevers and inflam- 
matory cases, where a rigid regimen is required. It is 
usually administered in solution (a troyounce to boiling 
water Oj , to be given when cool) ; in cases of irritation of the 
fauces, it may be taken in the mouth, and allowed slowly 
to dissolve. For pharmaceutical purposes, gum arabic is 
much used to suspend insoluble substances in water, and 
in making pills and lozenges. Mucilago Acacice (Mucilage 
of Gum Arabic) — (four troyounces to boiling water Oss), — 
is used in making pills, emulsions, &c. ; it becomes sour by 
keeping. Syrupus Acacice (Syrup of Gum Arabic), — (two troy- 
ounces to water fSviij, with sugar fourteen troyounces), — 
is used for the same purposes. Mistura Amygdalae (Mixture 
of Almond, or Almond Emulsion), — is made by dissolving a 
mixture of half a troyounce of blanched sweet almonds, 30 
grains of gum arabic, 120 grains of sugar, in half a pint 
of water ; it is a pleasant demulcent and vehicle for other 
medicines. By dissolving equal parts of sugar and gum 



FLAXSEED. 315 

arabic in water and evaporating, an agreeable demulcent 
is obtained, known as gum pectoral, which is sold as an imi- 
tation of jujube paste. 

TRAGACANTHA — TRAGACANTH. 

This is a concrete juice obtained from Astragalus ve- 
rus and other species of Astragalus (Nat Ord. Fabacese). 
They are small shrubs found in Persia, Asia Minor, and 
countries bordering on the Levant — with numerous 
branches, covered with imbricated scales and beset with 
spines. Tragacanth exudes spontaneously in the hot wea- 
ther, and hardens as it exudes, in forms of various shapes. 
It occurs in irregular, tortuous pieces, of a whitish or yel- 
lowish-white or occasionally a slightly reddish color, some- 
what translucent, resembling horn in appearance. It is 
hard and fragile, but very difficult of pulverization, has no 
smell, and very little taste. When heated with water, it 
swells and forms a paste, and, if agitated with an addi- 
tional quantity, it forms a uniform mixture, from which it 
is, however, almost entirely deposited, upon standing a 
day or two. It contains two constituents, one soluble in 
water, resembling arabin, the other termed tragacanthin, 
which is probably identical with bassorin. 

Effects and Uses. — Tragacanth is seldom given internally, 
on account of its difficult solubility. It is useful in sus- 
pending heavy insoluble powders, and answers better than 
gum arabic to impart consistence to lozenges. Mucilago 
Tragacanthce (Mucilage of Tragacanth), — (atroyounce to boil- 
ing water Oj), — is used in making pills and troches, and 
for the suspension of heavy insoluble metallic substances. 

LINUM — FLAXSEED. 

This is the seed of Linum usitatissimum, or Common 
Flax (Nat Ord. Linacese), an annual plant, of the height 



316 MATERIA MEDICA. 

of two feet, originally a native of Eastern countries, but 
naturalized in Europe, and cultivated in all parts of the 
world. The seed and oil are both officinal. The seeds are 
about a line in length, oval, smooth, and glossy, of a brown 
color externally, and yellowish- white within ; a variety of 
flax is cultivated in Ohio, the seeds of which are greenish- 
yellow. Flaxseeds are inodorous, and have an oily, muci- 
laginous taste. They contain a fixed oil, a large proportion 
of mucilaginous matter, and various other ingredients ; the 
mucilaginous matter, which is found chiefly in the husks 
of the seeds, consists, about one-half, of a principle solu- 
ble in cold water, resembling arabin, and, about one-third, 
of a principle insoluble in water. The oil (oleum lini, or 
linseed oil), is obtained by expression from the interior part 
of the seeds; it is laxative in the dose of fSi-ij, but .is 
chiefly used, externally, as an ingredient of linimentum col- 
ds (see p. 294). 

Effects and Uses. — The compound, infusion of flaxseed (half 
a troyounce to boiling water Oj, with liquorice root 5\j), is 
an admirable demulcent, extensively employed, internally, 
in catarrh, bowel-complaints, nephritic and calculous com- 
plaints, strangury, &c. ; and also (without the liquorice 
root), as an external antiphlogistic application. Decoction 
is an improper mode of preparing a demulcent solution of 
flaxseed, as boiling extracts part of the oil ; but it answers 
very well when it is used as a laxative enema. Flaxseed 
meal {lini farina), mixed with hot water, forms a much-used 
emollient poultice. 



ULMUS FULVA — SLIPPERY ELM BARK. 

This is the inner bark of the Ulmus fulva, or Slippery 
Elm (Nat. Ord. Ulmacese), a lofty indigenous tree, which 
is found throughout the United States, north of Carolina, 
and grows most abundantly west of the Alleghany Moun- 
tains. The inner bark is prepared for use by the removal 



MARSHMALLOW. 317 

of the epidermis ; it is found in the shops in long flat 
pieces, of a fibrous texture, tawny on the outer surface 
and reddish on the inner, of a peculiar but not unpleasant 
smell, and a very mucilaginous taste. It affords a light, 
grayish, fawn-colored powder. A large quantity of muci- 
laginous matter is contained in it, which is readily yielded 
to water. According to Dr. Wood, much of the bark 
lately brought into the market is inferior, containing but 
little mucilage ; it is less fibrous and more brittle than the 
genuine bark. 

Effects and Uses. — Slippery elm bark is a valuable demul- 
cent, extensively and advantageously employed in dysen- 
tery, diarrhoea, genito-urinary diseases, catarrhs, &c. It is 
also highly nutritious. Externally, it is an excellent emol- 
lient application, in the form either of infusion, or of poul- 
tice made with the powder. It has been also recommended 
for the dilatation of strictures and fistube. The infusion — 
mucilago ulmi {mucilage of slippery elm bark), — (a troy ounce to 
boiling water Oj), — may be used ad libitum. 



SASSAFRAS MEDULLA — SASSAFRAS PITH. 

Sassafras pith is the pith of the stems of Sassafras offici- 
nale (see p. 224). It occurs in light, spongy, whitish, slen- 
der, cylindrical pieces, of a mucilaginous taste. It abounds 
in a gummy matter, which it yields readily to water, form- 
ing a limpid, viscid mucilage. This mucilage (5j to cold 
water Oj), is a pleasant demulcent drink in dyspeptic, ne- 
phritic, and catarrhal affections, and is much used as a 
soothing application in ophthalmia. 



. ALTH^A — MARSHMALLOW. 

• The root of Althaea officinalis (Nat. Ord. Malvaceae), and 
other Malvaceae, herbaceous European plants, occasionally 



318 MATERIA MEDICA. 

found too on the borders of salt marshes in our own coun- 
try, are much used in Europe as demulcents. They are im- 
ported in pieces three or four inches in length, of nearly 
the thickness of the finger, light, easily broken, white ex- 
ternally, of a peculiar faint smell, and a mild, mucilagi- 
nous, sweetish taste. The chief constituents of marshmal- 
low are mucilage and starch, the former soluble in cold wa- 
ter, the latter requiring hot water. It contains also aspa- 
ragin or nialamide, a principle found in asparagus roots and 
other plants. 

Uses. — Marshmallow decoction is employed as a demulcent 
in inflammatory aud irritated conditions of the mucous 
membranes of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary or- 
gans, and poultices made of the bruised or powdered root 
are used externally. 



SESAMI FOLIUM — BENNE LEAF. 

This leaf is the product of Sesamum Indicum and Sesa- 
mum Orientale (Nat. Ord. Bignonise), annual plants, grow- 
ing to the height of four or fi.Ye feet, with ovate-lanceo- 
late, lobed leaves, reddish-white axillary flowers, and an 
oblong capsule containing small, oval, yellowish seeds. 
They are natives of India, but now raised in Asia, Egypt, 
Italy, and also in South Carolina, and in the neighborhood 
of Philadelphia. The seeds contain a fixed oil, and the 
leaves yield to cold water a large quantity of mucilage, 
resembling that of sassafras pith. This is a highly es- 
teemed demulcent drink, used in cholera infantum and in- 
fantile bowel-complaints. The seeds are eaten as food by 
the negroes in Carolina, in broths, puddings, &c. The 
oil (oleum sesami), which is inodorous, of a bland, sweet- 
ish taste, and keeps well, may be used internally or exter- 
nally, as a substitute for olive oil. 



LIQUORICE ROOT. 319 



GLYCYRRHIZA — LIQUORICE ROOT. 

This is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra (Nat. Ord. Faba- 
cese), a small herbaceous, perennial plant, of the countries 
around the Mediterranean. It is imported from Sicily and 
Spain ; and a portion of the Sicilian root is said to be the 
product of G. echinata. As found in the shops, liquorice 
root is in long, wrinkled pieces, often worm-eaten, varying 
from a few lines to more than an inch, in thickness, exter- 
nally grayish-brown, internally yellowish, without smell, 
and of a sweet, mucilaginous, sometimes slightly acrid 
taste. The best pieces are of the brightest yellow inter- 
nally. The powder is grayish-yellow, or, if it is powdered 
with the epidermis removed, pale sulphur-yellow. The 
constituents of liquorice root are, a peculiar, transparent, 
yellow, sweetish substance, termed glycyrrhizin (which is 
scarcely soluble in cold water, but soluble in boiling water 
and alcohol, and is insusceptible of the vinous fermenta- 
tion), starch, albumen, an acrid resin, &c. 

Effects and Uses.— A. decoction of liquorice root (a troy- 
ounce boiled for a few minutes in water Qj), is a useful 
demulcent in dysenteric, catarrhal, and nephritic affec- 
tions; it is also added to decoctions of acrid substances, 
to cover their taste and acridity. It should be made of the 
root, deprived of its cortical part, which is acrid and without 
demulcent virtues ; by long boiling, the acrid resin is ex- 
tracted. The powder is used in making pills (see p. 27). 

Extractum Glycyrrhiza (Liquorice), is made by the eva- 
poration of a decoction of the half-dried root. It comes to 
this country chiefly from Leghorn and Messina, and in 
part, also, from Spain ; good liquorice is prepared, too, in 
New York, and in England. Crude liquorice, when good, 
occurs in black, flattened, cylindrical rolls, about an inch 
in diameter, which are dry, brittle, with a shining fracture, 
of a very sweet, peculiar, slightly acrid taste, and are quite 
soluble in water. It is, however, much sophisticated, and, 



320 MATERIA MEDICA. 

for internal use, is, generally, refined, by dissolving the im- 
pure extract in water, without ebullition, straining the 
solution, and evaporating; sugar is often mixed with it, 
and sometimes mucilage or glue. Refined liquorice is in 
small cylindrical pieces, not thicker than a pipe-stem. Li- 
quorice is a pleasant demulcent, much used as an addition 
to cough mixtures and lozenges, and to acrid infusions and 
decoctions. Mistura Glycyrrhizce Composita, commonly 
called Brown Mixture, consists of liquorice, gum arabic, 
sugar, each half a troyounce ; paregoric, f §ij ; antimonial 
wine, fgj ; sweet spirit of nitre, fgss; water, fgxij. Dose, 
fgss. Liquorice enters into the composition of several 
troches already noticed. 



CETRARIA — ICELAND MOSS. 

Cetraria Islandica, or Iceland Moss (Nat. Ord. Lichena- 
cese), is a foliaceous, erect lichen, from two to four inches 
high, found in the northern latitudes and mountainous dis- 
tricts of the new and old continents. It is principally ob- 
tained from Norway and Iceland; and, as found in the 
shops, consists of irregularly lobed and channeled coria- 
ceous leaves, fringed at their edges with rigid hairs, of a 
brownish or grayish-white color, darker on the upper sur- 
face, and sometimes marked with blood-red spots. It is 
almost odorless, and has a bitter mucilaginous taste ; its 
powder is whitish-gray. It gives up its virtues to boiling 
water, and consists chiefly of a kind of amylaceous matter 
(which is colored blue by iodine, and is termed lichenin), 
and a bitter principle, termed cetrarin, which yields cetraric 
acid ; it contains, besides, other principles. 

Effects and Uses. — Iceland moss is a demulcent tonic, and 
is also highly nutritious. It is adapted to cases requiring 
a light aliment combined with a mild and acceptable tonic; 
and, from its demulcent properties, has a soothing influ- 
ence in inflammations of the various mucous membranes. 



ARROW-ROOT. 321 

It is chiefly used in chronic affections of the pulmonary 
and digestive organs, in the form of decoction (half a troy- 
ounce boiled with water enough to make a pint), which 
may be taken ad libitum. By maceration in water or a 
weak alkaline solution, Iceland moss may be deprived of 
its bitter principle ; and it is then used as a mild nutritive 
demulcent. 



CHONDRUS — IRISH MOSS. 

Chondrus crispus, Carrageen or Irish Moss {Nat. Ord. 
Algaceae), is a marine alga, found chiefly on the west coast 
of Ireland, where it is prepared for use by washing, bleach- 
ing, and drying. As found in the shops, it consists of 
fronds, from two to three or four inches long, mostly yel- 
lowish or dirty-white, but intermixed with purplish-red 
portions, nearly inodorous, and of a mucilaginous taste. 
It swells up in warm water, and is almost entirely dissolved 
when boiled. Its chief constituent is a peculiar mucilagi- 
nous principle, for which the term carrageenin has been 
proposed ; and it contains also some mucus, resins, &c. 

Effects and, Uses. — It is a very agreeable nutritive demul- 
cent, useful in bowel-complaints and pectoral affections. 
It may be given in the form of decoction (half a troyounce 
to water, Ojss, boiled to Oj), flavored with lemon-juice and 
sugar ; or it may be made with milk or cream into blanc- 
mange, which forms an excellent light diet for the sick. 



MAR ANT A — ARROW-ROOT. 

Arrow-root is a fecula, obtained from the root of Ma- 
ranta arundinacea (Nat. Ord. Marantacese), a perennial her- 
baceous plant, of the height of two or three feet, origi- 
nally found in the West Indies, and now cultivated in both 
the West and East Indies, Florida, Ceylon, and Sierra 

21 



322 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Leone. Other plants also furnish some of the arrow-root 
of commerce. The root of M. arundinacea is a white, 
fleshy, scaly, articulated, cylindrical tuber, from six inches 
to a foot or more in length, furnished with long fibres, and 
giving origin to several tuberous stoles, similar to itself. 
If consists principally of fecula or starch, which is ex- 
tracted from the roots when they are about a year old : 
they are washed and beaten into a pulp, which is stirred in 
water, and the fibrous part wrung out by the hands ; the 
milky liquor is strained and suffered to settle, and the sub- 
siding mass is dried in the sun. It occurs in the form of 
a light, opaque, white powder, or small pulverulent masses, 
without odor or taste; and is brought to our market chiefly 
from the West Indies, and, to some amount, also, from 
Georgia and Florida. The preferred kind is that which 
comes from Bermuda. 

Arrow-root is a pure starch, insoluble in cold water. Its 
peculiar characteristic is the structure and appearance of 
its granules, when viewed under a microscope ; and this affords 
the best means of distinguishing it from other feculee, which 
are mixed with or sold for it. The granules of the genuine 
arrow-root are ovate-oblong, irregularly convex, with fine 
rings, a hilum or central cavity, and often short processes 
or spines. 

Effects and Uses. — Arrow-root is a valuable nutritive de- 
mulcent, forming a very pleasant light diet in bowel-com- 
plaints and pulmonary and urinary affections. It is also 
much used as an article of food for infants. It is dissolved 
in boiling water (a tablespoonful to water Oj), and forms a 
gelatinous solution; a larger proportion of arrow-root 
makes a jelly-like mass. Lemon-juice and sugar, or wine 
and spices, may be added, according to the indication. It 
is generally made with milk, when used as a diet for in- 
fants. 



sago. 323 



CANNA. 



Canna starch (known also by the French name of tous 
les mois), is a fecnla prepared from the rhlzoma of an un- 
determined species of canna, generally believed, however, 
to be C. edulis. It comes from the West Indies and Cen- 
tral America, and occurs in the form of a light, very white 
powder, of a shining appearance. Its granules are longer 
than those of any other variety of starch, and are ovate 
or oblong, with numerous regular, unequally distant rings. 
It is used and prepared like arrow-root. 

TAPIOCA. 

This is the fecula of the root of Janipha Manihot (Nat. 
Ord. Euphorbiacese), a South American shrub, some six or 
eight feet in height, cultivated also in the West Indies, 
where it is termed the cassava plant. The root is a very 
large, white, fleshy tuber, and is found under two varieties, 
the sweet and bitter ; the latter contains an acrid, poisonous 
juice, which is, however, volatile, and dissipated by heat. 
Tapioca is obtained from the expressed juice of both varie- 
ties, from which it is deposited as a starchy powder ; it is 
afterwards dried by heat, which causes the starch-grains to 
swell and agglomerate into small masses or lumps. It 
occurs in the form of irregular, hard, white, rough grains, 
of little taste, and partially soluble in cold water. In boil- 
ing water it swells up, and forms a transparent jelly-like 
mass, which constitutes an admirable demulcent article of 
diet, applicable to the same cases as arrow-root. 



SAGO. 

Sago is the prepared fecula of the pith of Sagus Rum- 
phii, or the Sago Palm, and of other species of Sagus (Nat. 



324 MATERIA MEDICA. 

Ord. Palmacese), small trees of the Moluccas and other 
East India Islands. The immature stems contain a great 
mass of spongy medullary matter, which is extracted in the 
state of a coarse powder ; this is mingled with water, and 
the mixture, upon standing, deposits the insoluble farina, 
which, when dried, constitutes sago. The sago of com- 
merce is prepared by forming the meal into a paste with 
water, and rubbing it into grains. It is refined at Malacca 
and Singapore, so as to give the grains a fine pearly lustre, 
and in this state is called pearl sago. Pearl sago is the pre- 
ferred variety, and is that which is now in general use. It 
is in small grains, about the size of a pin's head, hard, 
whitish, of a light-brown color, inodorous, and nearly taste- 
less. Common sago is in larger, duller, browner grains, 
often mixed with a dirty-looking powder. 

Sago is, chemically, a starch. Common sago is inso- 
luble in cold water ; but pearl sago is partially dissolved 
by it, owing to the heat which it has undergone. The only 
use of sago is as a bland, unirritating article of diet. It 
should be boiled some time in water (or milk, if preferred), 
and carefully stirred, to insure the thorough solution of 
the grains ; the solution, after being strained, may be fla- 
vored with sugar, lemon-juice, wine, or spices, according 
to the requirements of the case. 



HORDEUM — BARLEY. 

Barley, as prepared for medicinal use, consists of the de- 
corticated seed of Hordeum distichon, and other species of 
Hordeum {Nat. Ord. Graminacese) ; well-known grains, 
supposed to be derived from Tartary, and now in cultiva- 
tion in most parts of the world. The seeds are oval, ob- 
long, marked with a longitudinal furrow, of a yellowish 
color externally, white within, a faint odor, and a mild, 
sweetish taste. They contain starch, gluten, gum, sugar, 
and a peculiar principle termed hordein, analogous to lignin. 



rice. 325 

"When made to germinate by warmth and moisture, and 
afterwards baked to deprive them of vitality, barley-seeds 
are termed malt ; this process increases the nutritious pro- 
perties of the grain, by increasing the proportions of sugar, 
starch, and gum, at the expense of the hordein. Deprived 
of its husk, the grain is termed hulled barley, and hulled 
barley, when ground, is barley meal. Pearl Barley is the 
grain with all the investments removed, and afterwards 
rounded and polished in a mill ; it is thus freed from its 
fibrous matter, and is the only fit form for medicinal use. 
It consists of small, white, oval grains, with a dark longi- 
tudinal furrow on one side, and yields its virtues to boiling 
water. In the form of decoction, and suitably flavored, it 
makes an exceedingly bland demulcent nutritive drink, in 
fevers and inflammatory cases (two troyounces, previously 
washed with cold water, are mixed with water Oss, and 
boiled for a short time ; this water should be thrown away, 
and Oiv boiling hot are poured upon the barley, and boiled 
to Oij). A decoction of malt is more nutritious; mixed 
with hops, it is termed wort. 

Aven^; Farinje [Oatmeal), — the meal prepared from the 
seeds of Avena Sativa (Nat. Ord. Graminacese), furnishes 
a pleasant diet for the sick, more nutritious than the pure 
starches, as it contains 3 per cent, of albumen with 72.8 
per cent, of starch. • It has a slight laxative influence on 
the bowels, and is often administered to assist the action 
of cathartics. Oatmeal gruel is prepared by boiling from 
one to two troyounces of the meal in three pints of water 
to a quart, straining the decoction, allowing it to stand 
till it cools, and then pouring off the clear liquor from 
the sediment. It may be flavored with sugar, and lemon- 
juice or raisins. 

Oryza (Rice), — the fruit of Oryza Sativa (Nat. Ord. Gra- 
minaceee), containing about 85 per cent, of starch, and 
nearly 4 per cent, of gluten, is an excellent demulcent 



826 MATERIA MEDICA. 

diet for the sick, in affections of the bowels. Rice-water, 
made by boiling a troyounce in a pint of water for an 
hour, may be used as drink. 

Salep — the prepared bulbs of Orchis mascula (Nat. Ord. 
Orchidacese), consists of small, oval, hard, heavy, semi- 
transparent masses, of a yellowish color, a feeble odor, and 
a mild mucilaginous taste. It contains, like tragacanth, 
two gums (one insoluble, the other soluble), and also starch. 
It is demulcent and highly nutritive, and is used in the 
same way as tapioca, sago, &c. 

Amylum (Starch), a proximate principle, pervading ~the 
vegetable kingdom, is used in solution as a demulcent to 
irritated surfaces, as a vehicle for anodyne enemata, as an 
antidote for iodine, and, in powder, as a desiccant. 

Gelatina (Gelatin), a solid, transparent, corneous sub- 
stance, obtained from the bones and other tissues of ani- 
mals (soluble in boiling water, and forming, on cooling, a 
transparent jelly), may be noticed with demulcents. 
When dried, it is found in the form of whitish or yel- 
lowish, semi-transparent, hard and tough, tasteless, ino- 
dorous strips. It is used to make soups and jellies for the 
sick, but it is not of easy digestion, and it does not nourish 
the nitrogenous tissues. In solution, it has been used as 
an enema in dysentery and hemorrhoids. And in phar- 
macy, it is employed to make capsules for the administra- 
tion of disagreeable liquid medicines, and as a coating for 
pills. 

Ichthyocolla (Isinglass), prepared from the swimming 
bladder of Acipenser huso (the sturgeon), and of other 
species of fish, is the purest form of gelatin. Court-plaster 
is made by coating oiled silk with a solution of isinglass. 

For external use, the animal eats are employed as emol- 
lients. 



OIL OF THEOBROMA. 327 

Adeps (Lard), is the prepared fat of sus scrofa (the 
hog). It is used in pharmacy as an addition to poultices, 
and as an inunction in the exanthemata, particularly scar- 
latina. Cerate of lard, eeratum adipis (formerly termed 
simple cerate), is made by melting together two parts of lard 
and one part of white wax. Unguentum adipis (ointment of 
lard), is made by melting together four parts of lard, and 
one part of white wax. Lard oil is a good vehicle for ano- 
dyne enemata. 

Sevum (Suet), is the prepared fat of ovis aries (the 
sheep). 

Cetaceum (Spermaceti), is a peculiar concrete substance, 
obtained from Physeter macrocephalus (the spermaceti 
whale). Spermaceti cerate (eeratum cetacei), is made by melt- 
ing together one part of spermaceti and three parts of 
white wax, and then adding five parts of olive oil. 

Cera Flava ( Yellow Wax), is a peculiar concrete sub- 
stance, prepared by Apis mellifica (the honey bee). 

Cera Alba ( White Wax), is yellow wax bleached. It is 
chiefly used in making cerates, ointments, and plasters. 



OLEUM THEOBROMA — OIL OF THEOBROMA. 

This oil, commonly known as butter of cacao, is the con- 
crete oil of the fruit of Theobroma Cacao (Nat. Ord. Ster- 
culiaceae), a handsome tree, from twelve to twenty feet in 
height, growing in Mexico, the West Indies, Central Ame- 
rica, and South America. The fruit is an ovate-oblong 
capsule or berry, half a foot in length, with a thick, coria- 
ceous, ligneous rind, inclosing a whitish pulp, in which 
numerous ovate seeds are imbedded, about the size of an 
almond. Separated from the matter in which they are en- 
veloped, these constitute the chocolate-nuts of commerce.. 



328 MATERIA MEDICA. 

They contain fixed oil (cacao butter), theobromia, and other 
matters. Theobromia is a nitrogenous alkaloid, analogous 
to caffein. Cacao butter is obtained by expression, decoc- 
tion, or the action of a solvent. It occurs in whitish or 
yellowish oblong cakes, of the consistence of tallow, of an 
agreeable odor and taste. It contains a large proportion 
of stearin, also palmitin and olein. It is used in pharmacy 
for coating pills, and also largely in preparing supposito- 
ries, for which it is well adapted from its consistence and 
blandness. 

GLYCERIN A — GLYCERIN. 

This is a substance which exists in oils in combination 
with the fatty acids (stearic, margaric, oleic, &c), and is 
liberated from them when they unite with bases in the 
process of saponification. It is usually obtained in the 
process for making lead plaster, by mixing litharge (oxide 
of lead) with olive oil and boiling water, by which the 
fatty acid unites with the lead, and is precipitated, and the 
glycerin remains in solution. It is freed from any lead it 
may contain by means of a stream of sulphuretted hy- 
drogen gas, and is afterwards filtered through animal char- 
coal ; or it may be made more directly by blowing steam 
through fat, which causes a separation of the glycerin and 
fatty acids. It is a thick, syrupy liquid, colorless or straw- 
colored, unctuous to the touch, inodorous, and of a sweet, 
pleasant taste. Sp. gr. 1.25. It is soluble in oils, alcohol, 
and water, but is insoluble in ether. It is a very general 
solvent, and does not evaporate when exposed to the air. 

Effects and Uses. — Glycerin is a bland and unirritating 
substance. It may be used internally as a nutrient and de- 
mulcent ; but it is as a topical application that it is chiefly 
employed. As an enema in dysentery, to soften hardened 
mucus in the air-passages, in various cutaneous affections, 
in deafness attended with dryness of the meatus, and as a 
vehicle or solvent for active medicines, glycerin is a valu- 
able article. 



YEAST. 329 



COLLODIUM — COLLODION. 

This is a solution of gun-cotton in ether and alcohol. It 
is a colorless, transparent, syrupy liquid, with a strong 
ethereal smell. By exposure to the air, the solvent eva- 
porates, with a deposit of crystals of gun-cotton, the collo- 
dion thus solidifying, and, in so doing, contracting and he- 
coming strongly adhesive. In this way it proves antiphlo- 
gistic, by driving the blood away from a part, limiting 
effusion, and promoting absorption, and, at the same time, 
acts as an admirable emollient by protecting an inflamed 
surface from the action of the air. It is a useful applica- 
tion to ulcers, fissures, and skin diseases, and erysipelatous 
parts. It is used also in surgery as a substitute for adhe- 
sive plaster, and in pharmacy as a vehicle for other medi- 
cines. Iodized collodion (a very good solution of iodine for 
external application), contains ten to twenty grains of 
iodine in a fluidounce of collodion. 



LIQUOR GUTT^ PEKCH^ — SOLUTION OF GUTTA 

PERCHA. 

This is a solution of gutta percha in chloroform. In 
preparing it, carbonate of lead is employed to free it from 
coloring matter. It is a clear, colorless, or nearly colorless 
solution, and should be kept in well-stoppered glass vials. 
By the evaporation of the chloroform, this proves an ad- 
mirable application to inflamed or abraded parts in skin 
affections, chaps, &c. ; also an excellent protective coating 
to parts threatened with bed-sores or liable to excoriation. 



FERMENTUM — YEAST. 

This well-known product of fermentation is a flocculent, 
frothy, somewhat viscid substance, of a dirty-yellowish 



330 MATERIA MEDICA. 

color, a sour, vinous odor, and a bitter taste. It is inso- 
luble in alcohol or water. Its most important character- 
istic is its power of exciting the vinous fermentation in 
saccharine and starchy liquids. It is occasionally used in 
low fevers, attended with irritability of the stomach, in 
the dose of fgss-ij, every two or three hours, which some- 
times proves laxative. Externally, it is added to farina- 
ceous poultices, applied to sloughing ulcers. 



MEL — HONEY. 

This liquid, the familiar product of the bee, best used in 
the form of Mel Despumatum [Clarified Honey), is a slightly 
laxative article of food, and is used in pharmacy, and as 
an agreeable demulcent ingredient in gargles. 

Saccharum (Sugar), and Syrupus Fuscus (Molasses), are 
pleasant demulcents, useful in slight catarrhal affections, 
and entering in endless variety of combination into most 
domestic and medicinal remedies for this class of affec- 
tions. Their pharmaceutical uses are manifold ; the pre- 
servative action of sugar is of inestimable advantage in 
this branch of the Materia Medica. 

Saccharum Lactis (Sugar of Milk), the saccharine prin- 
ciple of milk, is used as a bland non-nitrogenous article of 
diet. By fermentation, sugar of milk gives rise to lactic 
acid (acidum lacticum), a limpid, syrupy liquid, which has 
been used in certain forms of dyspepsia, and for the re- 
moval of phosphatic deposits in the urine, in the dose of 
5i-iij during the day. 



ORDER III. — ANTHELMINTICS. 

Anthelmintics are medicines which promote the expul- 
sion of worms from the alimentary canal. They act in 
different ways : some weaken or destroy the worms by a 



PINKROOT. 331 

direct poisonous influence, others by mechanical means ; 
the drastic cathartics have an anthelmintic effect, from the 
increased secretion and exhalation which they induce from 
the alimentary canal. 



SPIGELIA — PINKROOT. 

Pinkroot is the root of Spigelia Marilandica, or Carolina 
Pink (Nat Ord. Spigeliacese), an herbaceous, indigenous 
plant, found chiefly in our Southern and Southwestern 
States. The root is perennial, and consists of a number of 
slender fibres; the stems are numerous, from a foot to a foot 
and a half high, of a purplish color, furnished with sessile, 
opposite, ovate-lanceolate leaves, and terminate in spikes, 
bearing carmine-colored, funnel-shaped flowers, which ap- 
pear from May to July. The root, as found in the shops, 
consists of numerous slender, wrinkled, branching, brown- 
ish fibres, attached to a dark-brown caudex, and has a faint 
peculiar smell, and a sweetish, slightly bitter taste ; its ac- 
tivity is diminished by time. Boiling water extracts its 
virtues, which are thought to depend upon a bitter principle; 
it contains also volatile oil, resin, and other matters. 

Effects and Uses. — In ordinary doses, pinkroot often 
proves anthelmintic without any sensible effect on the sys- 
tem. In larger doses, it purges and sometimes vomits ; 
and, in excessive doses, it operates as a narcotic poison, 
producing vertigo, dilated pupils, convulsions, and death. 
It is less apt to occasion narcotic effects when it acts on 
the bowels, and hence it is usually combined with or fol- 
lowed by cathartics. As an anthelmintic, it is considered 
the most reliable article we possess. 

Administration. — Dose of the powdered root, 5i-ij, for an 
adult ; for a child three or four years old, gr. x-xx, to be 
repeated night and morning for three or four days, and 
followed by a brisk cathartic ; calomel is sometimes com- 
bined with it. The infusion is the usual form of adminis- 



332 



MATERIA MEDICA. 



tration (half a troy ounce to boiling water Oj, with fre- 
quently senna, half a troyounce), dose, fgss-j for a child 
two or three years old ; f Siv-viij for an adult, night and 






Fiff. 23. 




morning. The fluid extract contains in a fluidounce a troy- 
ounce of spigelia — dose, for a child two years old, ten 
drops. The fluid extract of Spigelia and Senna (which con- 



WORMSEED. 



333 



tains also carbonate of potassa and the oils of caraway and 
anise), is a pleasant preparation. Dose, fgss for an adult, 
f 5j for a child. 



CHE NOP ODIUM — WORMSEED. 

Wormseed is the fruit of Chenopodium anthelminti- 
cum, or Jerusalem Oak {Nat. Ord. Chenopodiacese), an in- 




digenous, herbaceous, perennial plant, from two to five 
feet high, with alternate, oblong-lanceolate, sinuated and 



334 MATERIA MEDICA. 

toothed, yellowish-green leaves, and numerous small 
flowers of the same color, arranged in long terminal pani- 
cles. Wormseed, as found in the shops, is in small sphe- 
rical grains, not larger than a pin's head, of a dull, green- 
ish-yellow or brownish color, a peculiar offensive smell, 
and a rather aromatic, pungent taste. Their sensible and 
medicinal properties are owing to a volatile oil (Oleum 
Chenopodii), obtained by distillation. 

Effects and Uses. — Wormseed is a very efficient anthel- 
mintic, particularly adapted to the expulsion of lumbrici 
from children. Dose, 3i-ij for a child two or three years 
old, in molasses, night and morning, for three or four days, 
to be followed by a brisk cathartic. The oil is more used 
than the fruit. Dose, gtt. v-x for a child, in emulsion 
with sugar. The expressed juice of the leaves, and a de- 
coction made with milk, are also used. 



SANTONICA. 

The unexpanded flowers and peduncles of Artemisia 
Contra and of other species of Artemisia, are used in Eu- 
rope as an anthelmintic (in the dose of 10 to 30 grains), 
under the name of European Wormseed. They contain 
volatile oil, resin, and a peculiar principle, termed Santo- 
nin — Santoninum. This is the anthelmintic constituent of 
Santonica, and is much employed. Dose, 2 or 3 grains, 
two or three times a day, in the form of lozenge or syrup. 



AZEDARACH. 

This is the bark of the root of Melia Azedarach, or 
Pride of China (Nat Ord. Meliacese) ; an Asiatic tree, cul- 
tivated extensively as an ornamental tree in our Southern 
States. It has a bitter, nauseous taste, and yields its vir- 
tues to boiling water ; but as it is used only in the recent 



MALE FERN. 335 

state, it is not found in our shops. Its effects are said 
to resemble those of Spigelia. The decoction is the pre- 
ferred form of administration (four troyounces to water 
Oij, boiled to Oj) ; dose for a child f §ss, every two or three 
hours, till it affects the stomach and bowels ; or night and 
morning, for several days. 



MUCUNA — COWHAGE. 

The hairs of the pods of Mucuna pruriens (Nat Ord. 
Fabacese), a West Indian perennial climbing plant, act as 
anthelmintic, by a mechanical penetration of the worms. 
The pods are about four inches long, shaped like the Italic 
letter /, and are covered with brown bristly hairs, which, 
when handled, stick in the fingers, and produce an intense 
itching. For administration, the pods are dipped into syrup 
or molasses, and the hairs scraped off with the liquid, 
which should have the consistence of thick honey. Dose, 
a tablespoonful for an adult, a teaspoonful for a child, night 
and morning, for several days, and followed by a cathartic. 



FILIX MAS — MALE FERN. 

Aspidium Filix Mas, or Male Fern (Nat Ord. Filicales), 
is an indigenous plant, common to all parts of the world, 
with a perennial, horizontal root, from which spring nu- 
merous annual, oval, lanceolate, acute, bright-green pin- 
nate fronds or leaves, from a foot to four feet in height ; 
the leaflets are deeply lobate, oval, crenate at their edges, 
and gradually diminish from the base of the pinna to the 
apex. The rhizoma is the portion used. It is a long, cy- 
lindrical caudex, covered with the remains of the leaf- 
stalks ; and, as found in the shops, it is generally broken 
into fragments, of a brown color externally, internally yel- 
lowish-white or reddish, with a peculiar feeble odor, and 



336 MATERIA MEDICA. 

a sweetish, bitter, astringent, nauseous taste. It dete- 
riorates by keeping. It contains volatile oil, fixed oil, re- 
sin, tannic and gallic acids, &c, &c. Its virtues are sup- 
posed to reside in the ethereal extract, which is the fixed oil 
in an impure state, containing volatile oil, resin, coloring 
matter, &c. 

Effects and Uses. — Male fern possesses tonic and astrin- 
gent properties ; but its chief use is to cause the expulsion 
of taenia, which it destroys by a specific action. Its effi- 
cacy in this respect has been long and well attested. Dose, 
of the 'powder, 5i-iij, in electuary or emulsion, night and 
morning, for one or two days; of the ethereal extract, gr. 
x-xx, repeated ; and in both cases a cathartic is to be af- 
terwards given. 



GRANATI RADICIS CORTEX — BARK OF THE 
POMEGRANATE ROOT. 

The bark of the root of Punica granatum (see p. 138), 
is used for the expulsion of taenia. It is a powerful styp- 
tic, and may act in this way. It is given in decoction (two 
troyounces to water Oij, boiled to Oj), dose, fSij, or more. 

Oleum Terebinthin^e {Oil of Turpentine), (see p. 242), 
is used as a remedy for taenia and other worms. Dose, 
fgj, combined with or followed by castor oil. 

Calomel (see p. 264), is a valuable anthelmintic, given 
in cathartic doses. 

Brayera (Koosso). The flowers and unripe fruit of 
Brayera Anthelmintica (Nat. Ord. Rosaceae), a native of 
Abyssinia, have been introduced into European practice, 
as a remedy for taenia, under the name of koosso. The 
dried flowers occur in unbrokeu, compressed clusters, of a 
greenish-yellow color, a fragrant balsamic odor, and a faint 



PUMPKIN SEED. 337 

taste, which after a time becomes acrid and disagreeable. 
They are said to impart their virtues best to hot water, and 
to yield gum, resin, fatty matter, tannic acid, &c. They 
are best given upon an empty stomach, after a previous 
evacuation of the bowels, in the dose of half a troyounce 
of the powder, mixed with half a pint of warm water. 



ROTTLERA — K AM EEL A. 

This is the powder and hairs, obtained from the cap- 
sules of Rottlera tinctoria (Nat. Ord. Euphorbiacese), a 
small tree of Hindostan and the East India islands. It is 
an orange-red, granular, inflammable powder, with little 
smell or taste, insoluble in cold, and nearly so in boiling 
water; soluble in boiling alcohol and ether. It consists 
chiefly of resinous substances, to one of which, soluble in 
ether, and considered the active constituent, the name of 
rottlerin has been given. 

Uses. — Kameela is a highly esteemed taeniacide in India, 
and has lately been introduced into Europe and our own 
country. Dose of the powder, 5i-ij- A tincture (six troy- 
ounces to alcohol Oj), is given in the dose of f5i-iv. Cas- 
tor oil should be taken after the medicine. 



PEPO — PUMPKIN SEED. 

The seed of Cucurbita pepo, or common pumpkin, is 
probably the most efficacious remedy known in the expul- 
sion of tape-worm. These seeds are oval, flattish, grooved, 
9 lines long by 5 or 6 in breadth, of a light brownish- white 
color, a sweetish taste and aromatic smell. They contain 
& fixed oil, which is said to possess their anthelmintic vir- 
tues. One or two troyounces of the fresh seeds, deprived 

22 



338 MATERIA MEDICA. 

of their outer envelope, beaten to a paste with finely 
powdered sugar, and diluted with water or milk, should 
be taken after a twenty -four hours' fast, and followed, in 
two or three hours, by a dose of castor oil. Of the fixed 
oil, fgss-f Sj may be taken. 



APPENDIX. 



SIGNS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED IN PRESCRIPTIONS. 

R, Recipe, take. 

aa, Ana (av*), of each. 

ft), Libra, librae, a pound, pounds. 

|j, Uncia, uncice, an ounce, ounces. 

£, Drachma, drachmae, a drachm, drachms. 

5, Scrupulus, scrupuli, a scruple, scruples. 

O, Octarius, octarii, a pint, pints. 

f j§, Fluiduncia, fluiduncioz, a fluidounce, fluidounces. 

f^, Fluidrachma, fiuidrachmce, a fluidrachm, fluidrachms. 

"nj7, Minimum, minima, a minim, minims. 

Ad 2 Vic, -4c? rfwas vices, at two takings. 

Ad Lib. , Ad libitum. 

Add., Adde, Addantur, add, let he added. 

Altern. Horis, Alternis horis, every other hour. 

Aq. Destil., Aqua Destillata, distilled water. 

Aq. Ferv., Aquafervens, hot water. 

Aq. Fluvial., Aquafiuvialis, river water. 

Aq. Font., Aqua fontana, spring water. 

Aq. Pluv., Aqua pluvialis, rain water. 

Bis Ind., Bis indies, twice a day. 

Bull., Bulliat, Bulliant, let it or them boil. 

Cap., Capiat, capiendum, let the patient take it, it must be taken. 

Chart., Chartula, chartulce, a small paper, or papers. 

Cochleat., Cochleatim, by spoonfuls. 

Coch. Mag., Cochleare magnum, a tablespoonful. 

Coch. Med., Cochleare medium, a dessertspoonful. 

Coch. Parv., Cochleare parvum, a teaspoonful. 

Col., Cola, coletur, strain, let it be strained. 

Colltr., Collyrium, an eye- water. 

Comp., Compositus, compounded. 

Cong., Congius, congii, a gallon, gallons. 

C. M. S., Cras mane sumendus, to be taken to-morrow morning. 

C. N., Cras node, to-morrow night. 

Decoct., Decoctum, a decoction. 

De D. in D., De die in diem, from day to day. 

Dieb. Alter., Diebus alternis, every other day. 

Dil., Dilue, dilutus, dilute, diluted. 

Dim., Dimidius, one-half. 

Div., Divide, divide. 



340 APPENDIX. 

D., Doses, a dose. 

Elec, Electuarium, an electuary. 

Enema, Enema, enemata, a clyster, clysters. 

Exhib. , Exhibeatur, let it be administered. 

F. H., Fiat haustus, let a draught be made. 

Fix., Filtra, filter. 

Ft. , Fiat, jiant, let there be made. 

Garg. , Gargarysma, a gargle. 

Gr., Granum, grana, a grain, grains. 

Gtt., Gutta, guttce, a drop, drops. 

Guttat., Guttatim, by drops. 

Haust., Haustus, a draught. 

Ind., Indies, daily. 

Inf., Infunde, pour in. 

Infus., Infusum, an infusion. 

Inj., Injiciatur, let it be injected. 

Jul., Julepus, julepum, a julep. 

M., Misce, Mix. 

Mane, in the morning. . 

Mist., Mistura, a mixture. 

Mic. Pan., Mica panis, crumb of bread. 

No., Numero, in number. 

Omn. Hor., Omni hord, every hour. 

Omn. Bid., Omni biduo, every two days. 

Omn. Bih., Omni bihora, every two hours. 

Omn. Man. , Omni mane, every morning. 

Omn. Nocte, Omni node, every night. 

Omn. Quadr. Hor., Omni quadrante horce, every quarter of an hour. 

Ph., Pharmacopoeia. 

Pocitl., Poculum, a cup. 

P. K. N"., Pro re nata, as the symptoms may call for. 

Pttlv. , Pulvis, a powder. 

Q. P., Quantum placeat, as much as you please. 

Q. S., Quantum siifficiat, enough. 

Quor., Quorum, of which. 

Redig. in Pulv., Redigatur inpulverem, let it be reduced to powder. 

Repet., Repetatur, repetantur, let it or them be repeated. 

S., Signa, write. 

S. A., Secundum artem, according to art. 

Semih., Semihora, half an hour. 

Sign., Signatura, a label. 

Ss., Semis, a half. 

Sum., Sume, Sumendus, take, let it be taken. 

Tabel., Tabella, a lozenge. 

Troch., Trochiscus, a lozenge. 

Trit., Tritura, triturate. 



INDEX. 



Abbreviations, table of, 299. 
Abies balsamea, 241. 

Canadensis, 300. 

excelsa, 299. 

picea, 299. 
Absinthium, 96. 
Acacia, 313. 

Arabica, 313. 

catechu, 129. 

vera, 313. 
Aceta, 31. 

Acetate of ammonia, solution of, 
155. 

lead, 143. 

morphia, 47. 

potassa, 226. 

zinc, 119. 
Acetic acid, 177. 
Acetum, 177. 

colchici, 230. 

lobeliae, 57. 

opii, 45. 

scillse, 228. 
Acida mineralia, 123, 311. 

vegetabilia, 176. 
Acidum aceticum, 177. 

arseniosum, 278, 310. 

benzoicum, 225. 

citricum, 177. 

chromicum, 309. 

gallicum, 128. 

hydrocyanicum, 64. 
dilutum, 64. 

muriaticum, 125. 
dilutum, 125. 

nitricum, 125. 
dilutum, 125. 

nitro-muriaticum, 125. 

sulphuricum, 124. 
aromaticum, 124. 
dilutum, 124. 

sulphurosum, 124. 

tannicum, 127. 

tartaricum, 177. 
Achillea, 98. 

millefolium, 98. 



Acipenser huso, 326. 
Aconite, 60. 
Aconiti folium, 60. 

radix, 60. 
Aconitia, 60, 61. 
Aconitum, 60. 

Napellus, 60. 
Acorus calamus, 160. 
Acupuncture, 19. 
Adeps, 326. 
Adhesive plaster, 244. 
JEther, 70. 

fortior, 70. 
Agathotes chirayta, 91. 
Age, influence of, 35. 
Albumen as an antidote for corro- 
sive sublimate, 267. 
Alcohol, 147. 

dilutum, 148. 

fortius, 148. 
Alcoholic potassa, 277. 
Alder, black, 110. 
Alexandria senna, 207. 
Allium, 239. 

sativum, 239. 
Allspice, 157. 
Almond emulsion, 314. 
Aloe, 205. 

Barbadensis, 205. 

capensis, 205. 

purificata, 205. 

Socotrina, 205. 

spicata, 205. 

vulgaris, 205. 
Aloes, 205. 
Aloin, 206. 

Alterative diaphoretics, 220. 
Alteratives, 255. 
Althaea, 317. 

officinalis, 317. 
Alum, 145, 190, 311. 

dried, 145, 146. 

whey, 146. 
Alum-root, 139. 
Alumen, 145. 

exsiccatum, 145, 146. 



342 



INDEX. 



Aluminae sulphas, 146. 

Amber, 82. 

American centaury, 89. 

columbo, 89. 

hellebore, 167. 

ipecacuanha, 189. 

poplar, 96. 

senna, 209. 

silver fir, 241. 

spikenard, 222. 
Amidogen, 268. 
Ammonia, 150. 

preparations of, 150, 293. 
Ammonia-alum, 145. 
Ammoniac, 78, 252. 

mixture, 79. 

plaster, 79. 
Ammoniacum, 78, 252. 
Ammoniae acetatis liquor, 176. 

aqua, 150, 306. 

fortior, 150, 306. 

carbonas, 151. 

linimentum, 151, 299. 

murias, 283. 

praeparata, 150, 293. 

spiritus, 151. 

aromaticus, 151. 

valerianas, 79. 
Ammoniated copper, 118. 

iron, 116. 

mercury, 268. 

tincture of guaiac, 223. 
valerian, 79. 
Amygdala amara, 67. 
Amyl, hydride of, 70. 
Amylen, 70. 
Amylum, 326. 
Anaesthetics, ethereal, 70. 
Angelica Archangelica, 99. 
Angelica tree, 222. 
Angustura, 97. 

bark, 97. 

false, 97. 
Anise, 164. 

star, 164. 
Anisum, 164. 
Anodynes, 40. 
Antacids, 286. 
Anthelmintics, 330. 
Anthemis, 93. 

cotula, 94. 

nobilis, 93. 
Antilithics, 287. 
Antimonial ointment, 172, 307. 

powder, 173. 

wine, 172. 
Antimonii oxidum, 173. 

et potassse tartras, 169. 



Antimonii oxysulphuretum, 172. 

praeparata, 169. 
Antimonium sulphuratum, 172. 
Antispasmodics, 76. 
Apocynin, 231. 
Apocynum cannabinum, 231. 
Apples, 192. 

Aqua ammonias, 150, 306. 
fortior, 150, 306. 

amygdalae amarae, 67. 

aurantii florum, 162. 

cinnamomi, 155. 

creasoti, 141. 

rosae, 138. 
Aquae, 28. 
Arabin, 314. 
Aralia nudicaulis, 222. 

racemosa, 222. 

spinosa, 222. 
Arctostaphylos uva ursi, 135. 
Argenti nitras, 121. 

fusa, 122, 308. 

oxidum, 122. 

praeparata, 121. 
Argol, 201. 
Aristolochia reticulata, 93. 

serpentaria, 92. 
Arnica, 162. 

montana, 162. 
Arnicina, 162. 
Aromatic confection, 160. 

powder, 160. 

spirit of ammonia, 151. 

sulphuric acid, 124. 

syrup of rhubarb, 204. 
Aromatics, 152. 
Arrack, 150. 
Arrow-root, 321. 
Arsenic, 278. 

acid, 278. 
Arseniciethydrargyri iodidi liquor, 
282. 

iodidum, 282. 

praeparata, 278. 
Arsenious acid, 278, 310. 
Arsenite of potassa, solution of, 281. 

soda, 282. 
Artanthe elongata, 247. 
Artemisia absinthium, 96. 

contra, 334. 
Arteriotomy, 17. 
Artificial camphor, 68. 

musk, 82. 
Asparagin, 318. 
Aspidium Filix mas, 335. 
Assafetida, 76, 252. 
Assafoetida, 76, 252. 
Astragalus verus, 315. 



INDEX. 



343 



Astringents, 126. 

mineral, 141. 

vegetable, 127. 
Atropa belladonna, 48. 
Atropia, 48. 
Aurantii cortex, 162. 
Avena sativa, 325. 
A venae farina, 325. 
Azedarach, 334. 

Balm of Glilead tree, 241. 
Balsam of fir, 241. 
Peru, 251. 
Tom, 251. 
Balsamodendron Myrrha, 248.* 
Balsamum Peruvianum, 251. 

Tolutanum, 251. 
Bandages, 19. 
Barbadoes aloes, 205. 
Barberry, 91. 
Barilla, 290. 

Bark of sassafras root, 224. 
Barley, 324. 
Barosma crenata, 248. 
Basilicon ointment, 244. 
Bassorin, 314. 
Baths, 20, 22. 
Bay rum, 150. 
Bean of St. Ignatius, 180. 
Bearberry, 135. 
Bebeeru bark, 109. 
Bebeerin, 110. 
Belladonna, 48. 
Belladonnse folium, 48. 

radix, 48. 
Benne leaf, 318. 

oil, 318. 
Benzoic acid, 250. 
Benzoin, 249. 
Benzoinum, 249. 
Berberina, 87, 90, 91. 
Bicarbonate of potassa, 289. 

soda, 291. 
Bichloride of mercury, 266. 
Bichromate of potassa, 284, 311. 
Biniodide of mercury, 267. 
Bismuthi subcarbonas, 123. 

subnitras, 122. 
Bitartrate of potassa, 200. 
Bitter almond water, 67. 

cucumber, 213. 

orange, 162. 
Bitters, aromatic, 85, 92. 

astringent, 85, 99. 

simple, 85, 86. 
Bittersweet, 64. 
Black drop, 45. 

ginger, 158. 



Black hellebore, 213. 

mustard, 296. 

oxide of mercury, 262. 

pepper, 153, 154. 

snakeroot, 238. 

wash, 263. 
Blackberry root, 139. 
Black-oak bark, 133. 
Blennorrhetics, 225, 235. 
Blistering cerate, 304. 
Blisters, 301. 
Bloodletting, 17. 
Bloodroot, 186. 
Blue pill, 218, 261. 

vitriol, 118. 
Boneset, 94. 
Borate of soda, 174. 
Borax, 174. 

Bordeaux turpentine, 241. 
Borneo camphor, 68. 
Bran, 192. 
Brandy, 149. 
Brayera, 336. 

anthelmintica, 336. 
Brazilian sarsaparilla, 220. 
Brimstone, 195. 
Bromide of iron, 275. 

mercury, 275. 

potassium, 274, 
Bromine, 274. 
Brominium, 274. 
Broom, 235. 
Brown mixture, 320. 
Brucia, 178. 
Buchu, 248. 
Burgundy pitch, 299. 

plaster, 300. 
Butter, 195. 

of nutmegs, 156. 
Butternut, 205. 



Cacao butter, 327. 

Cadmii sulphas, 123. 

Caffea, 81. 

Cajeput oil, 157. 

Calamina praeparata, 120. 

Calamine, 120. 

Calamus, 160. 

Calcined magnesia, 196. 

Calcis carbonas prsecipitata, 294. 

phosphas prsecipitata, 282. 

prseparata, 293. 
Calefacients, 147. 
Calisaya bark, 99, 100. 
Calomel, 217, 264. 
Calor, 20. 
Calumba, 90. 



344 



INDEX. 



Calx chlorinata, 286. 
Camphene, 68. 
Camphor, 67. 

liniment, 69. 

water, 69. 
Camphora, 67. 

omcinamm, 67. 
Camphorated tincture of opium, 45. 
Canada balsam, 241. 

fleabane, 230. 

pitch, 300. 

turpentine, 241. 
Canella, 98. 

alba, 98. 
Canna, 323. 
Cannabin, 62. 
Cannabis Indica, 61. 
Cantharidin, 303. 
Cantharides, 302. 
Cantharis, 234, 302. 

vesicatoria, 302. 

vittata, 306. 
Cape aloes, 205. 
Capsicin, 153. 
Capsicum, 152, 298. 

annuum, 152. 
Caraway, 164. 
Carbonate of ammonia, 151. 

iron, pills of, 112. 

lead, 145. 

lime, precipitated, 294. 

magnesia, 197. 

potassa, 289. 
pure, 289. 

soda, 291. 

dried, 291. 

zinc, precipitated, 120. 
Carbonates of soda, 290. 
Cardamom, 159. 
Cardamomum, 159. 
Carminatives, 147. 
Carolina pink, 331. 
Carota, 233. 
Carrageen, 321. 
Carrageenin, 321. 
Carrot seed, 233. 

root, 234. 
Carthagena barks, 101. 
Carum, 164. 

carui, 164. 
Caryophyllin, 156. 
Caryoph3 T llus, 156. 

aromaticus, 156. 
Cascarilla, 97. 
Cascarillin, 98. 
Cassava plant, 323. 
Cassia acutifolia, 207. 

^Ethiopica, 207, 208. 



Cassia cinnamon, 154. 

elongata, 207, 208. 

fistula, 193. 

lanceolata, 207, 208. 

Marilandica, 209. 

obovata, 207, 208. 

purging, 193. 
Castor, 82. 

fiber, 82. 

oil, 194. 
Castoreum, 82. 
Cataplasmata, 33. 
Cataplasms, 33, 312. 
Catechu, 129. 
Catechuic acid, 130. 
Cathartics, 190. 
Cathartin, 208. 
Caustic potassa, 308. 
Cauterants, 307. 
Cautery, actual, 21. 
Cayenne pepper, 152. 
Centaury, 89. 

Cephaelis ipecacuanha, 185. 
Cera alba, 327. 

flava, 327. 
Cerasus serotina, 108. 
Cerata, 33. 
Cerates, 33. 
Cerate of cantharides, 304. 

carbonate of zinc, 120. 

extract of cantharides, 304. 

subacetate of lead, 144. 
Ceratum calaminse, 120. 

cantharidis, 304. 

extracti cantharidis, 304. 

adipis, 33, 327. 

plumbi subacetatis, 144. 

resinse, 244. 

compositum, 244. 

sabinse, 254. 

simplex, 33. 

zinci carbonatis, 120. 
Cetaceum, 327. 
Cetraria, 320. 

islandica, 320. 
Cetraric acid, 320. 
Cetrarin, 320. 
Cevadilla, 168. 
Ceylon cinnamon, 154. 
Chalk mixture, 295. 

prepared, 294. 
Chalybeates, 110, 254. 
Chamomile, 93. 

German, 94. 

wild, 94. 
Champagne wine, 149.> 
Chenopodium, 333. 

anthelminticum, 333. 



INDEX. 



345 



Chian turpentine, 241. 
Chimaphila, 136. 

maculata, 137. 

uinbellata, 136. 
China cinnamon, 154. 
Chinese rhubarb, 202. 
Chloride of lime, 286. 

iron, tincture of, 114. 

zinc, 120, 310. 
Chlorinated lime, 286. 
Chloroform, 70, 73. 

purified, 73. 
Chloroformum, 70, 73. 

purificatum, 73. 
Chlorohydric acid, 125. 
Choke cherry, 108. 
Chondrus, 321. 

crispus, 321. 
Chiretta, 91. 
Chlorate of potassa, 283. 
Chromic acid, 309. 
Chrysophanic acid, 203. 
Cicuta, 59. 
Cimicifuga, 238. 

racemosa, 238. 
Cinchona, 99. 

Boliviana, 99. 

Calisaya, 99. 

condaminea, 99. 

flava, 99, 100. 

micrantha, 99. 

pallida, 99, 100. 

rubra, 99, 100. 

succirubra, 99. 
Cinchonia, 100, 101, 102. 
Cinchonidia, 101, 102. 
Cinchonise sulphas, 106. 
Cinnabar, 269. 
Cinnamic acid, 266. 
Cinnamomum, 154. 

aromaticum, 154. 

zeylanicum, 154. 
Cinnamon, 154. 

water, 155. 
Cissampelina, 247. 
Cissampelos pareira, 247. 
Citrate of iron, 115. 

and quinia, 117. 

magnesia, solution of, 198. 

potassa, 175. 

mixture of, 175. 
Citric acid, 177. 
Citrine ointment, 270. 
Citrullus colocynthis, 213. 
Citrus aurantium, 162. 

vulgaris, 162. 
Classification of Medicines, 39. 
Climate, influence of, 36. 



Cloves, 156. 

Clutterbuck's elaterium, 215. 

Clysters, 38. 

Coccoloba uvifera, 130. 

Cocculus palmatus, 90. 

Cochlearia armoracia, 235. 

Codeia, 42. 

Cod-liver oil, 275. 

Coffee, 81. 

Cohosh, 238. 

Colchici radix, 228. 

semen, 228. 
Colchicia, 229. 
Colchicum, 228. 

autumnale, 228. 

root, 228. 

seed, 228. 
Cold, 21. 

Colica pictonum, 141. 
Collyria, 37. 
Colocynth, 213. 
Colocynthin, 213. 
Colocynthis, 213. 
Collodion, 329. 
Collodium, 329. 

cum cantharide, 305. 
Colombian barks, 101. 
Colombin, 90. 
Columbo, 90. 
Compound cathartic pills, 214. 

decoction of sarsaparilla, 221, 

extract of colocynth, 213, 214. 

galbanum pills, 78, 249. 

mixture of iron, 112, 249. 

powder of jalap, 211. 

spirit of ether, 83. 
Confection of opium, 46. 

senna, 193, 209. 
Confectiones, 28. 
Confectio opii, 46. 

aromatica, 160. 

rosse, 123. 

sennse, 193, 209. 
Confections, 28. 
Conia, 59. 
Conium, 58. 

maculatum, 58. 
Conserves, 28. 

Convolvulus scammonia, 212. 
Copaiba, 244. 
Copaifera ofiicinalis, 244. 

multijuga, 244. 
Copaivic acid, 244. 
Copper, preparations of, 117. 

subacetate of, 118. 

sulphate of, 118, 190, 311. 
Copperas, 113. 
Coptis, 87. 



346 



INDEX. 



Coptis trifolia, 87. 
Coriander, 165. 
Coriandrum, 165. 

sativum, 165. 
Cornus Florida, 107. 
Corrosive chloride of mercurv, 266, 
310. 

sublimate, 266, 310. 
Cotton, 183. 

root, 183. 
Cotula, 94. 
Cowhage, 335. 
Cranesbill, 133. 
Cream of tartar, 200. 
Creasote, 140. 

water, 141. 
Creasotum, 140. 
Creta preeparata, 294. 
Croton eleuteria, 97. 

oil, 215, 306. 

tiglium, 215. 
Crotonic acid, 216. 
Crude camphor, 67. 

liquorice, 319. 

sulphur, 195. 
Cubeb, 245. 
Cubeba, 245. 
Cubebin, 246. 
Cucurbita pepo, 337. 
Culver's root, 207. 
Cupri prseparata, 117. 

subacetas, 118. 

sulphas, 118. 
Cuprum ammoniatum, 118. 
Cups, 18. 
Cyanide of potassium, 66. 

mercury, 268. 
Cynanchum olegefolium, 208. 
Cynips quercusfolii, 129. 
Cypripedium, 80. 

pubescens, 80. 
Cytisus scoparius, 235. 



Dandelion, 232. 
Daphne gnidium, 223. 

mezereum, 223. 
Daphnin, 224. 
Datura stramonium, 51. 
Daturia, 51. 
Daucus carota, 233. 
Deadly nightshade, 48. 
Decocta, 29. 
Decoction of azedarach, 335. 

barley, 325. 

blackberry root, 139. 

black snakeroot, 239. 



cotton root, 183. 



Decoction of cranesbill, 135. 

dogwood, 108. 

dulcamara, 64. 

fleabane, 230. 

Iceland moss, 321. 

Indian hemp, 231. 

Irish moss, 321. 

logwood, 132. 

oak bark, 133. 

Peruvian bark (yellow or red), 
104. 

pipsissewa, 138. 

pomegranate, 138. 

sarsaparilla, compound, 221. 

seneka, 237. 

uva ursi, 136. 
Decoctions, 29. 
Delphinum consolida, 235. 
Demulcents, 311. 
Deshler's salve, 244. 
Diachylon, 144. 
Diaphoretics, 218. 
Diffusible stimulants, 147. 
Digestion, 29. 
Digitaline, 166. 
Digitalis, 165. 

purpurea, 165. 
Diluents, 312. 
Diluted hydrocyanic acid, 64. 

muriatic acid, 126. 

nitric acid, 125. 

sulphuric acid, 124. 
Diospyros, 139. 

Virginiana, 139. 
Distilled oils, 152. 
Diuretics, 224. 
Dogwood, 107. 
Donovan's solution, 282. 
Dorema ammoniacum, 78. 
Doses of medicines, 35. 
Dover's powder, 46, 186. 
Dracontium, 80. 
fcetidum, 80. 
Drastics, 190, 210. 
Dried alum, 145. 

carbonate of soda, 291. 
sulphate of iron, 113. 
Dryobalanops camphora, 68. 
Dulcamara, 64. 



Eccritics, 183. 
Ecbalium agreste, 215. 
Effervescing draught, 175. 
Elaterin, 215. 
Elaterium, 215. 
Electricity, 22. 
Electro-puncture, 19. 



INDEX. 



347 



Electuaries, 24. 

Elettaria cardamomum, 159. 

Elixir vitriol, 124. 

Ellis' magnesia, 197. 

Emetia, 185. 

Emetics, 183. 

mineral, 190. 

vegetable, 186. 
Emmenagogues, 252. 
Emollients, 312. 
Emplastra, 33. 
Emplastrum ammoniaci, 79. 

cum hydrargyro, 262. 

arnica?, 163. 

assafcetidse, 78. 

belladonna?, 50. 

ferri, 112. 

galbani, 78. 

hydrargyri, 262. 

opii, 46. 

picis Burgundicse, 300. 
Canadensis, 300. 
cum cantharide, 300. 

plumbi, 33, 144. 

saponis, 144. 
Emulsions, 28. 
Endermic application of medicines, 

36. 
Enemata, 38, 217. 
Epispastics, 301. 
Epsom salt, 197. 
Ergot, 181. 
Ergota, 181. 
Ergotic acid, 182. 
Erigeron, 230. 

Canadense, 230. 

heterophyllum, 230. 

Philadelphicum, 230. 
Errhines, 37. 
Escbarotics, 307. 
Essential oils, 152. 
Etber, 70. 

stronger, 70. 
Etbereal oil, 83. 
Etberization, 73. 
Ethers, 70. 
Etbiops mineral, 243. 
Etbyl, 71. 

Eucalyptus resinifera, 131. 
Eugenia pimenta, 157. 
Eugenin, 156. 
Eupatorium, 94. 

perfoliatum, 94. 
Euphorbia corollata, 188. 

ipecacuanha, 188. 
European rhubarb, 203. 
Excitants, 146. 
Exogonium purga, 210. 



Expectorants, 235. 
Extract of aconite, 61. 

alcoholic, fluid, 50. 
American hellebore, fluid, 168. 
arnica, alcoholic, 162. 
belladonna, 50. 
black hellebore, alcoholic, 213. 

snakeroot, fluid, 239. 
buchu, fluid, 248. 
butternut, 205. 
colchicum, 230. 

colocynth, compound, 213, 214. 
cranesbill, 135. 
cubeb, fluid, 222. 
dandelion, 233. 
dulcamara, 64. 

fluid, 64. 
ergot, fluid, 183. 
foxglove, alcoholic, 167. 
gentian, 81. 
ginger, fluid, 159. 
hemlock, 58. 

alcoholic, 59. 

fluid, 59. 
hemp, 61. 

purified, 62. 
henbane, 54. 

alcoholic, 54. 
Ignatia, alcoholic, 181. 
ipecacuanha, fluid, 186. 
jalap, 211. 
leptandra, fluid, 209. 
logwood, 132. 
male fern, ethereal, 336. 
May apple, 212. 
nux vomica, alcoholic, 180. 
opium, 46. 
Peruvian bark (yellow), 104. 

fluid, 104. 
pinkroot, fluid, 332. 
pipsissewa, 130, 
quassia, 86. 
rhatany, 132. 
rhubarb, 204. 

fluid, 204. 
sarsaparilla, compound, fluid, 

223. 
seneka, fluid, 238. 
senna, fluid, 209. 
spigelia and senna, fluid, 332. 
stramonium leaf, 52. 

alcoholic, 52. 
uva ursi, fluid, 136. 
valerian, alcoholic, fluid, 79. 
Virginia snakeroot, fluid, 93. 
wild cherry bark, fluid, 109. 
Extracta, 32. 
Extracts, 32. 



348 



INDEX. 



Extractum cannabis, 61. 
glycyrrhizse, 285. 
opii, 46. 

False angustura bark, 97, 178. 

sarsaparilla, 222. 
Fennel seed, 164. 
Fermentum, 329. 
Fern, male, 335. 
Ferri ammonio-citras, 116. 

carbonatis, pilulae, 112. 

chloridi, tinctura, 114. 

citras, 115. 

et ammoniae sulphas, 117. 

et ammonise tartras, 117. 

et potassse tartras, 115. 

et quinise citras, 117. 

ferrocyanidum, 116. 

iodidi, syrupus, 114. 

iodidum, 114. 

laetas, J.16. 

nitratis, liquor, 116. 

oxidum hydratum, 111. 

phosphas, 115. 

praeparata, 110. 

pyrophosphas, 115. 

subcarbonas, 111, 

sulphas, 113. 

exsiccata, 113. 
Ferrocyanide of iron, 116. 
Ferruginea, 110. 
Ferrum ammoniatum, 116. 

redactum, 111. 
Figs, 192. 
Filix mas, 335. 
Flag, sweet, 160. 
Flax, common, 315. 
Flaxseed, 315. 

meal, 316. 

oil, 195, 316. 
Fleabane, Canada, 230. 

Philadelphia, 230. 

various-leaved, 230. 
Florida arrow-root, 322. 
Flowers of sulphur, 195. 
Fluid extracts, 32. 
Fceniculum, 164. 

vulgare, 164. 
Fonticuli, 19. 
Forms in which medicines are used, 

26. 
Formyl, terchloride of, 74. 
Fowler's solution, 281. 
Foxglove, 165. 
Frasera, 89. 
Frasera Walteri, 89. 
Fraxinus, ornus, 192. 

rotundifolia, 192. 



Frictions, 19. 
Frigus, 21. 



Gaduin, 276. 
Gadus morrhua, 275. 
G-albanum, 78, 252. 
G-alipea officinalis, 97. 
Galla, 128. 
Gallic acid, 128. 
Galls, 128. 
Gamboge, 214. 
Gambogia, 214. 
Gargarismata, 37. 
Gargles, 37. 
Garlic,- 239. 
Gases, 34. 
Gaultheria, 161. 

procumbens, 161. 
Gelatin, 326. 
Gelatina, 326. 
Gelsemium, 169. 

sempervirens, 169. 
Gentian, 88. 
Gentiana, 88. 

lutea, 88. 
Gentianin, 88. 
Geranium, 133. 

maculatum, 133. 
Geum rivale, 110. 
Gillenia, 189. 

stipulacea, 189. 

trifoliata, 189. 
Gin, 150. 
Ginger, 158. 
Glauber's salt, 198. 
Glycerin, 328. 
Glycerina, 328. 
Glycyrrhiza, 319. 

echinata, 319. 

glabra, 319. 
Glycyrrhizin, 319. 
Golden sulphur of antimony, 172. 
Goldthread, 87. 
Gossypii radix, 183. 
Gossypium herbaceum, 183. 
Goulard's cerate, 144. 

extract, 143. 
Granati fructus cortex, 138. 

radicis cortex, 336. 
Greenhart tree, 109. 
Green iodide of mercury, 267. 
Green vitriol, 113. 
Guaiac, 222. 
Guaiaci lignum, 222. 

resina, 222. 
Guaiacin, 223. 
Guaiacum, 222. 



INDEX. 



349 



Guaiacum officinale, 222. 

wood, 222. 
Guatemala sarsaparilla, 220. 
Gum, 314. 

Arabic, 313. 

Barbary, 313. 

India, 313. 

Senegal, 313. 

Turkey, 313. 



Habit, influence of, 35. 
Haematics, 254. 
Haematin, 132. 
Haematinics, 254. 
Haematoxylon, 132. 

Campechianum, 132. 
Hardhack, 110. 
Haschisch, 62. 
Heat, 20. 
Hedeoma, 163. 

pulegioides, 163. 
Hellebore, American, 167. 

black, 213. 

white, 168. 
Helleborus niger, 213. 
Hemlock, 58. 
Hemp, Indian, 207. 
Henbane, 52. 

leaf, 52. 

seed, 52., 
Henry's magnesia, 196. 
Hepatic aloes, 205. 
Heucbera, 139. 

Americana, 139. 
Hiera picra, 98, 206. 
Hirudo decora, 18. 

medicinalis, 18. 
Hive-syrup, 228. 
Hoffman's anodyne liquor, 83. 
Honduras sarsaparilla, 220. 
Honey, 192, 329. 

of roses, 138. 
Honeys, 31. 
Hops, 62. 
Hordein, 324. 
Hordeum, 324. 

distichon, 324. 
Horehound, 164. 
Horsemint, 164. 
Horseradish, 235. 
Howard's calomel, 264. 
Humulus, 62. 

lupulus, 62. 
Husband's magnesia, 197. 
Huxham's tincture of bark, 93, 104. 
Hydragogues, 190. 



Hydrargyri chloridum corrosivum, 
266, 310. 
mite, 217, 263. 
cyanidum, 268. 
iodidum viride, 267. 

rubrum, 267. 
oxidum nigrum, 262. 

rubrum, 263. 
nitratis unguentum, 269. 

liquor, 270, 310. 
praeparata, 256. 
sulphas flava, 269. 
sulphuretum rubrum, 269. 
Hydrargyrum ammoniatum, 268. 

cum creta, 218, 262. 
Hydrated oxide of iron, 111. 
Hydrocyanic acid, 64. 
Hyoscyami folium, 52. 

semen, 52. 
Hyoscyamia, 53. 
Hyoscyamus, 52. 

niger, 52. 
Hypnotics, 40. 



Iceland moss, 320. 
Icbthyocolla, 326. 
Idiosyncrasy, influence of, 35. 
Igasuria, 179. 
Igasuric acid, 178. 
Ignatia, 180. 
Illicium anisatum, 164. 
India opium, 41. 

senna, 208. 
Indian hemp, 231. 

physic, 189. 

tobacco, 56. 
Infusa, 29. 
Infusion of American centaury, 90. 

American columbo, 89. 

American senna, 210. 

Angustura, 97. 

blood-root, 187. 

buchu, 248. 

carrot-seed, 234. 

cascarilla, 98. 

catechu, compound, 130. 

cayenne pepper, 153. 

chamomile, 94. 

cloves, 157. 

columbo, 91. 

coptis, 88. 

dandelion, 233. 

flaxseed, compound, 316. 

fleabane, 230. 

foxglove, 167. 

gentian, 88. 

ginger, 159. 



350 



INDEX. 



Infusion of hops, 63. 

juniper, 233. 

lobelia, 57. 

magnolia, 96. 

matico, 247. 

pareira brava, 248. 

Peruvian bark (yellow or red), 
104. 

pink-root, 331. 

quassia; 86. 

rhatany, 132. 

rhubarb, 204. 

roses, compound, 138. 

senna, 209. 

sweet flag, 161. 

thoroughwort, 95. 

tobacco, 55. 

valerian, 78. 

Virginia snake-root, 

wild cherry bark, 109. 
Infusions, 29. 
Inhalation, 34. 
Injections, 38. 
Inoculation, 36. 
Iodide of arsenic, 282. 

and mercury, 282. 

iron, 114, 272. 

lead, 144, 272. 

mercury, 267, 272. 

potassium, 273. 

starch, 272. 

sulphur, 273. 

zinc, 273. 
Iodine, 270. 
Iodinium, 270. 
Ipecacuanha, 185. 

American, 189. 
Ipomoea Jalapa, 210. 
Irish moss, 321. 
Iron, preparations of, 110, 254. 

reduced, 111. 
Irritants, 147, 295. 
Isinglass, 326. 
Issues, 19. 



Jalap, 210. 
Jalapa, 210. 
Jamaica ginger, 158. 

kino, 130. 

sarsaparilla, 220. 
James' powder, 173. 
Jamestown weed, 51. 
Janipha manihot, 323. 
Jerusalem oak, 333. 
Jesuit's powder, 103. 
Jewell's calomel, 264. 
Juglans, 205. 



Juglans cinerea, 205. 
Jujube paste, 315. 
Juniper, 233. 
Juniperus, 233. 

communis, 233. 

sabina, 253. 

Virginiana, 253. 



Kameela, 337. 
Kelp, 290. 

Kermes mineral, 172. 
Kinic acid, 101. 
Kino, 130. 
Kinovic acid, 101. 
Koosso, 336. 
Krameria, 131. 

triandra, 131. 
Kramer ic acid, 131. 



Labarraque's liquid, 286. 
Lac assafcetidae, 78. 

sulphuris, 196. 
Lactate of iron, 116. 
Lactic acid, 330. 
Lactuca sativa, 47. 
Lactucarium, 47. 
Lactucin, 47. 
Lard, 326. 

oil, 326. 
Larkspur, 235. 
Laudanum, 45. 
Lavandula, 163. 

vera, 163. 
Lavements, 38. 
Lavender, 163. 
Laxatives, 190, 192. 
Lead plaster, 33, 144. 

arthralgy, 142. 

paralysis, 142. 

preparations of, 141. 
Ledoyen's disinfecting fluid, 144. 
Leeches, 18. 
Lemon-juice, 177. 
Lenitives, 311. 
Leopard's bane, 162. 
Leptandra, 207. 

Virginica, 207. 
Leptandrin, 207. 
Light, 20. 
Lignum vitse, 222. 
Lime, preparations of, 293. 
Lime-water, 293. 
Lini farina, 316. 
Linimenta, 33. 
Liniments, 33. 
Linimentum ammonias, 151, 299. 



INDEX. 



351 



Linimentum calcis, 294. 

camphorae, 69. 

cantharidis, 305. 

chloroformi, 76. 

saponis, 69. 

terebinthinas, 242. 
Linseed oil, 316. 
Linum, 315. 

usitatissimum, 315. 
Liquor ammonias acetatis, 176. 

arsenici et hydrargyri iodidi, 
256. 

calcis, 243. 

ferri citratis, 115. 
nitratis, 116. 
subsulphatis, 115. 
tersulphatis, 113. 

guttae perchae, 329. 

hydrargyri nitratis, 270, 310. 

iodinii compositus, 272. 

magnesias citratis, 198. 

morphias sulphatis, 47. 

plumbi subacetatis, 127. 

potassae, 288. 

arsenitis, 281. 
carbonatis, 260. 

sodas, 290. 

chlorinatae, 286. 
Liquores, 28. 
Liquorice, 319. 

root, 319. 
Liriodendrin, 97. 
Liriodendron, 96. 

tulipifera, 96. 
Litharge, 144. 
Lithia, preparations of, 292. 
Lithiae carbonas, 292. 

citras, 292. 

praeparata, 292. 
Lobelia, 56, 184. 

inflata, 56. 
Lobelina, 57. 
Logwood, 117. 
Lozenges, 28. 
Lunar caustic, 122, 308. 
Lupulin, 63. 
Lupulite, 63. 
Lux, 20. 



Mace, 155. 
Maceration, 29. 
Macis, 155. 
Madder, 254. 
Madeira wine, 149. 
Magnesia, 196. 

preparations of, 293. 
Magnesias carbonas, 197. 



Magnesias citratis liquor, 198. 

sulphas, 197. 
Magnolia, 96. 

acuminata, 96. 

glauca, 96. 

tripelata, 96. 
Malamide, 318. 
Male fern, 335. 
Malt, 325. 

liquors, 149. 
Mandrake, 211. 
Manganesii sulphas, 199. 
Manna, 192. 
Mannite, 193. 
Maranta, 321. 

arundinacea, 321. 
Marjoram, 164. 
Marrubium, 164. 

vulgare, 164. 
Marshmallow, 317. 
Materia medica, definition«of, 17. 
Maticin, 247. 
Matico, 247. 
Matricaria, 94. 
May-apple, 211. 
Mayweed, 94. 
Meadow saffron, 228. 
Measures and weights, 34. 
Mecca senna, 208. 
Meconic acid, 42. 
Meconin, 42. 

Medicines, definition of, 23. 
Mel, 320. 

rosas, 138. 
Melaleuca cajuputi, 157. 
Melia azedaracn, 334. 
Mellita, 31. 
Mentha piperita, 163. 

viridis, 163. 
Mercurial cathartics, 191, 217. 

ointment, 261. 

plaster, 262. 
Mercury, black oxide of, 262. 

red oxide of, 263. 

preparations of, 256. 

with chalk, 218, 262. 
Mezereon, 223. 
Mezereum, 223. 
Mild acrid cathartics, 190, 202. 

chloride of mercury, 217, 263. 
Milk of assafetida, 78. 
Mineral acids, 123. 
Mistura amygdalae, 314. 

assafaetida, 78. 

chloroformi, 76. 

cretas, 295. 

ferri composita, 42, 249. 

glycyrrhizae composita, 320. 



352 



INDEX. 



Mistura potassse citratis, 175. 
Mixtures, 28. 

Modus operandi of medicines, 24. 
Molasses, 192, 330. 
Momordica elaterium, 215. 
Monarda, 164. 

punctata, 164. 
Monkshood, 60. 
Monsel's solution, 114. 
Montpellier scammony, 213. 
Morphia, 42. 

preparations of, 47. 
Morphiae acetas, 47. 

murias, 47. 

sulphas, 47. 
Moschus, 81. 

moschiferus, 81. 
Moxa, 21. 
Mucilage, 314. 
Mucilago acacise, 314. 

sassafras, 317. 

tragacanthae, 315. 

ulmi, 317. 
Mucuna, 335. 

pruriens, 335. 
Muriate of ammonia, 283. 

morphia, 47. 
Muriatic acid, 125. 
Musk, 81. 
Mustard, 296. 
Myristica, 155. 

moschata, 155. 
Myrospermum peruiferum, 251. 

toluiferum, 251. 
Myrosyne, 297. 
Myrrh, 248. 
Myrrha, 248. 



Narceina, 42. 
Narcotics, 40. 
Narcotina, 42. 
Narthex assafoetida, 76. 
Natron, 290. 
Nauseants, 183. 
Nectandra, 109. 

Eodiei, 109. 
Neurotics, 40. 
Neutral mixture, 175. 
Nicotiana tabacum, 54. 
Nicotianin, 54. 
Nicotina, 54. 
Nightshade, black, 64. 

deadly, 48. 
Nitrate of lead, 144. 

potassa, 173. 

silver, 121. 

fused, 122, 308. 



Nitre, 173. 
Nitric acid, 125. 
Nitro-muriatic acid, 125. 
Nitrous oxide, 70. 
powders, 174. 
Norway spruce, 299. 
Nutgall, 128. 
Nutmeg, 155. 
Nux vomica, 178. 



Oak bark, 133. 
Oatmeal, 192, 325. 
Oil of amber, 82. 

anise, 164. 

arnica, 162. 

bitter almond, 66. 

cajeput, 157. 

camphor, 69. 

caraway, 164. 

cinnamon, 155. 

cloves, 157. 

copaiba, 244. 

cubeb, 246. 

ergot, 182. 

fennel, 164. 

garlic, 240. 

horsemint, 164. 

juniper, 233. 

lavender, 163. 

mace, 156. 

marjoram, 164. 

mustard, 297. 

nutmeg, 156. 

partridge-berry, 162. 

pennyroyal, 164. 

peppermint, 163. 

pimento, 157. 

rosemary, 163. 

rue, 254. 

sassafras, 224. 

savine, 254. 

spearmint, 163. 

sweet almond, 193. 

tar, 243. 

theobroma, 327. 

thyme, 164. 

tobacco, 54, 56. 

turpentine, 157, 241, 242, 298. 

valerian, 79. 

vitriol, 124. 

wine, 83. 

wormseed, 334. 
Oils, volatile, 152. 

distilled, 152. 

essential, 152. 
Ointment of ammoniated mercury, 
243. 



INDEX. 



353 



Ointment of antimony, 172. 

belladonna, 50. 

benzoin, compound, 250. 

cantharides, 305. 

carbonate of lead, 145. 

creasote, 141. 

iodide of lead, 144. 

of mercury, 267, 268. 
of potassium, 274. 

iodine, 272. 

lard, 327. 

mezereon, 224. 

nitrate of mercury, 269. 

nutgall, 129. 

oxide of zinc, 119. 

red iodide of mercury, 268. 
oxide of mercury, 263. 

stramonium, 52. 

subacetate of copper, 119. 

sulpbur, 172. 

tar, 243. 

tobacco, 55. 

veratria, 169. 

white hellebore, 168. 
Ointments, 33. 
Oleoresin of black pepper, 154. 

Cayenne pepper, 153. 

cubeb, 246. 

ginger, 159. 
Oleoresinae, 32. 
Oleoresins, 32. 
Oleum aethereum, 83. 

amygdalae amarse, 66. 
dulcis, 193. 

cajuputi, 157. 

camphorae, 69. 

caryophylli, 157. 

chenopodii, 334. 

cinnamomi, 155. 

eopaibae, 245. 

cubebae, 246. 

juniperi, 233. 

lini, 316. 

morrhuae, 275. 

myristicae, 156. 

olivae, 193. 

pimentae, 157. 

ricini, 194. 

sabinae, 254. 

sassafras, 224. 

sesami, 318. 

succini rectificatum, 82. 

terebinthinse, 1 57, 242, 298. 

theobromae, 327. 

thymi, 164. 

tiglii, 215, 306. 
Olive oil, 193. 

tree, 193. 



Opiania, 42. 
Opium, 40. 

plaster, 46. 
Orange flower water, 162. 

peel, 162. 
Orchis mascula, 326. 
Origanum, 164. 

vulgare, 164. 
Oryza, 325. 

sativa, 325. 
Oxide of antimony, 173. 

lead, 144. 

silver, 122. 

zinc, 119. 
Oxymel, 31. 

Oxysulphuret of antimony, 172. 
Oyster-shell, prepared, 295. 



Painters' colic, 141. 
Pale bark, 99, 100. 
Palma Christi, 194. 
Papaver, 41. 

somniferum, 40. 
Papaverina, 42. 
Paramorphia, 42. 
Paregoric elixir, 45. 
Pareira, 247. 

brava, 247. 
Parsley, 235. 
Partridge-berry, 161. 
Parts to which medicines are ap- 
plied, 36. 
Peaches. 192. 
Pearlash, 289. 
Pearl barley, 325. 

sago, 324. 
Pennyroyal, 163. 
Pepper, black, 153. 

Cayenne, 152. 

white, 154. 
Peppermint, 163. 

water, 163. 
Pepo, 337. 
Percolation, 29. 
Permanganate of potassa, 285. 
Persian opium, 41. 
Persimmon, 139. 
Peruvian bark, 99. 
Petroselinum sativum, 235. 
Pharmacy, definition of, 23. 
Phosphate of iron, 115. 

lime, 282. 

soda, 199. 
Phosphorus, 152. 
Pills, 27. 

of aloes, 206. 

and assafetida, 206. 



23 



354 



INDEX. 



Pills of aloes and mastic, 206. 
and myrrh, 206, 249. 

antimony, compound, 172. 

assafetida, 78. 

carbonate of iron, 112. 

cathartic, compound, 214. 

copaiba, 245. 

iodide of iron, 115. 

iron, compound, 112, 249. 

mercury, 218, 261. 

opium, 46. 

rhubarb, compound, 204. 

soap, compound, 46. 

squill, compound, 228. 
Pilulae, 27. 

antimonii compositae, 172. 

ferri carbonatis, 112. 
compositae, 112. 
iodidi, 114. 

hydrargyri, 218, 261. 

opii, 46. 

saponis compositae, 46. 
Pimenta, 157. 
Pimento, 157. 
Pimpinella anisum, 164. 
Pinkroot, 331. 
Pinus palustris, 157, 240. 

taeda, 241. 
Piper, 153. 

cubeba, 245. 

nigrum, 153. 
Piperin, 154. 
Pipsissewa, 136. 
Pitch, 243. 
Pix Burgundica, 299. 

Canadensis, 300. 

liquida, 243. 
Plasters, 33. 
Plumbi acetas, 142. 

carbonas, 145. 

iodidum, 144. 

nitras, 144. 

oxidum, 144. 

praeparata, 141, 

subacetatis liquor, 143. 
Plummer's pills, 173. 
Podophyllum, 211. 

peltatum, 211. 
Poison-nut, 178. 
Poison-oak, 181. 
Polygala senega, 236. 
Polygalic acid, 237. 
Pomegranate rind, 138. 

root, bark of, 336. 
Poppy, black, 40. 

white, 40. 
Poppy-heads, 41. 
Porphyroxin, 42. / 



Port wine, 149. 
Potassa, 308. 

preparations of, 288. 

solution of, 288. 

with lime, 309. 
Potassae acetas, 226. 

bicarbonas, 289. 

bichromas, 310. 

bitartras, 200. 

carbonas, 289. 
pura, 289. 

chloras, 283. 

citras, 175. 

et sodae tartras, 201. 

nitras, 173. 

permanganas, 285. 

praeparata, 288. 

sulphas, 200. 

tartras, 201. 
Potassii bromidum, 274. 

cyanidum, 66. 

iodidum, 273. 
Potato, 64. 

flies, 306. 
Potentilla tormentilla, 139. 
Poultices, 33, 312. 
Powder of aloes and canella, 98, 206. 

ipecacuanha, compound, 46. 

jalap, compound, 211. 

rhubarb, compound, 204. 
Powders, 26. 
Precipitated carbonate of lime, 294. 

sulphur, 196. 

zinc, 120. 
Prepared calamine, 120. 

chalk, 294. 

oyster-shell, 295. 
Pride of China, 334. 
Prinos verticillatus, 110. 
Proof spirit, 148. 
Prophylamia, 182, 276. 
Prunes, 192. 
Prunus Virginiana, 108. 
Prussian blue, 116. 
Prussic acid, 64. 
Pterocarpus erinaceus, 130. 

marsupium, 130. 
Pulp of prunes, 209. 

purging cassia, 193, 209. 

tamarinds, 209. 
Pulveres, 26. 

effervescentes aperientes, 202. 
Pulverization, 27. 
Pulvis aloes et canellse, 98, 206. 

antimonialis, 173. 

aromaticus, 160. 

ipecacuanhas compositus, 46. 
Pumpkin-seed, 337. 



INDEX. 



355 



Punica granatum, 138. 
Purgatives, 190. 
Purging cassia, 193. 
Pyroligneous acid, 243. 
Pyrophosphate of iron, 115. 



Quassia, 86. 

amara, 86. 
Quassin, 86. 
Quercin, 133. 
Quercitron, 133. 
Quercus alba, 133. 

infectoria, 128. 

tinctoria, 133. 
Quevenne's iron, 111. 
Quinia, 100, 101. 

crude, 106. 
Quiniae sulphas, 104. 

valerianas, 104. 
Quinidia, 101, 102. 
Quinoidia, 106. 



Eace, influence of, 36. 
Eaisins, 192. 

Eectified oil of amber, 82. 
Eed bark, 99, 100. 

cedar, 253. 

iodide of mercury, 267. 

oxide of mercury, 263. 

precipitate, 263. 

roses, 138. 

sulphuret of mercury, 269. 
Eefrigerants, 165, 173. 
Eemedies, definition of, 17. 

division of, 17. 

imponderable, 20. 

mechanical, 17. 

pharmacological, 23. 
Eesin, 241, 243. 

cerate, 244. 

of jalap, 211. 

of May apple, 212. 

of scammony, 213. 

plaster, 244. 
Eesina, 243. 
Ehatany, 131. 
Eheum, 202. 

palmatum, 202. 
Ehodeoretin, 210. 
Eottlera, 337. 

tinctoria, 337. 
Ehubarb, 202. 
Ehus toxicodendron, 181. 
Eice, 325. 
Eicinus communis, 194. 



Eochelle salt, 201. 
Eosa centifolia, 138. 

Gallica, 138. 
Eosemary, 163. 
Eose-water, 138. 
Eosin, 243. 
Eosmarinus, 163. 

officinalis. 163. 
Eubefacients, 295. 
Eubia, 254. 

tinctorum, 254. 
Eubus, 139. 

Canadensis, 139. 

villosus, 139. 
Eue, 254. 
Eufus' pills, 206. 
Eum, 150. 

Eussian rhubarb, 202, 203. 
Euta, 254. 

graveolens, 254. 
Eye, 181. 



Sabbatia, 89. 

angularis, 89. 
Sabina, 253. 
Saccharum, 330. 

lactis, 330. 

Saturni, 143. 
Sage, 164. 
Sago, 323. 

Sagus Eumphii, 323. 
Sal ammoniac, 283. 

diureticus, 226. 
Salep, 326. 
Salicin, 108. 

Saline cathartics, 190, 196. 
Salix, 108. 

alba, 108. 
Salt of tartar, 289. 
Saltpetre, 173. 
Salvia, 164. 

officinalis, 164. 
Sanguinaria, 186. 

Canadensis, 186. 
Sanguinarina, 186. 
Santonica, 334. 
Santonin, 334. 
Sarsaparilla, 220. 

false, 222. 
Sarsaparillin, 221. 
Sassafras medulla, 317. 

officinale, 224, 317. 

pith, 317. 

radicis cortex, 224. 
Savine, 253. 
Scabious, 230. 
Scammonium, 212. 



356 



INDEX. 



Scammony, 212. 
Scilla, 226, 240. 

maritima, 226. 
Scudamore's draught, 229. 
Scutellaria, 80. 

laterifolia, 80. 
Seaside grape, 130. 
Secale cereale, 181. 
Secalia, 182. 
Sedatives, 165. 
Seidlitz powders, 177, 202. 
Senega, 236. 
Senegal gum, 313. 
Seneka, 236. 
Senna, 207. 

American, 209. 
Serpentaria, 92. 
Sesami folium, 318. 
Sesamum Indicum, 318. 
Sesquioxide of iron, 111. 
Setacea, 19. 
Setons, 19. 
Sex, influence of, 35. 
Sherry wine, 149. 
Sevum, 327. 
Sialagogues, 258. 
Signs and abbreviations, 339. 
Silver, preparations of, 121. 

fir, American, 241. 
Simaruba, 86. 

excelsa, 86. 

officinalis, 86. 
Simple cerate, 33, 327. 

syrup, 31. 
Sinapis, 189, 296. 

alba, 189, 296. 

nigra, 189, 296. 
Sinapisin, 297. 
Sinapism, 298. 
Skunk cabbage, 80. 
Slippery elm bark, 316. 
Smelling salt, 152. 
Smilacin, 221. 
Smilax officinalis, 220. 
Smyrna opium, 41. 
Snakeroot, black, 238. 

seneka, 236. 

Virginia, 92. 
Soap cerate, 145. 

liniment, 69. 

plaster, 144. 
Socotrine aloes, 205. 
Soda, preparations of, 290. 

powders, 177. 
Sodae bicarbonas, 291. 

boras, 174. 

carbonas, 291. 

exsiccata, 291. 



Sodae phosphas, 199. 

praeparata, 290. 

sulphas, 198. 
Solania, 64. 
Solanum dulcamara, 64. 

nigrum, 64. 

tuberosum, 64. 
Soluble tartar, 201. 
Solution of acetate of ammonia, 176. 

arsenite of potassa, 281. 

chlorinated soda, 286. 

citrate of iron, 115. 

gutta percha, 329. 

iodide of arsenic and mercury, 
282. 

iodine, compound, 272. 

lime, 293. 

nitrate of iron, 116. 

of mercury, 270, 310. 

potassa, 288. 

soda, 290. 

subsulphate of iron, 113. 

tersulphate of iron, 113. 
Solutions, 28. 
Soporifics, 40. 
Spanish flies, 306. 
Spastics, 178. 
Spearmint, 163. 

water, 163. 
Spermaceti, 327. 
Spiced syrup of rhubarb, 204. 
Spigelia, 331. 

Marilandica, 331. 
Spikenard, American, 222. 
Spiraea tomentosa, 110. 
Spirits, 31. 
Spiritus, 31. 

aetheris compositus, 83. 
nitrosi, 176. 

ammoniae, 151. 

aromaticus, 151. 

camphorae, 69. 

chloroformi, 175. 

cinnamomi, 155. 

frumenti, 150. 

juniperi compositus, 233. 

lavandulae, 163. 

compositus, 163. 

menthae piperitae, 163. 

Minder eri, 176. 

myrciae, 150. 

myristicae, 140. 

pimentae, 141. 

rosmarini, 163. 

vini Gallici, 149. 

viridis, 163. 
Spruce, hemlock, 300. 

Norway, 299. 



INDEX. 



357 



Spurge, ipecacuanha, 188. 

large flowering, 188. 
Squill, 89, 226, 240. 
Squirting cucumber, 190. 
St. Ignatius' bean, 180. 
Star aniseed, 164. 
Starch, 326. 
Sternutatories, 37. 
Stimulants, 146. 
Stomachics, 147. 
Stramonii folium, 51. 

semen, 51. 
Stramonium, 51. 
Strychnia, 178, 180. 
Strychnos nux vomica, 178 

Ignatia, 180. 
Styrax benzoin, 249. 
Subacetate of copper, 118. 

lead, solution of, 143. 
Subcarbonate of bismuth, 123. 

iron, 111. 
Sublimed sulphur, 195. 
Subnitrate of bismuth, 122. 
Succinic acid, 83. 
Succinum, 82. 
Succus limonis, 177. 
Sudorifics, 218. 
Suet, 327. 
Sugar, 330. 

of lead, 143. 
Sulphate of alumina, 146. 

alumina and potassa, 145. 

cadmium, 123. 

cinchonia, 106. 

copper, 118, 190, 311. 

iron, 113. 

dried, 113. 

and ammonia, 117. 

and potassa, 117. 

magnesia, 197. 

manganese, 199. 

mercury, yellow, 269. 

morphia, 47. 

potassa, 200. 

quinia, 104. 

quinidia, 102. 

soda, 198. 

strychnia, 180. 

zinc, 119, 190. 
Sulpho-sinapisin, 297. 
Sulphur, 195. 

lotum, 195. 

prsecipitatum, 196. 

sublimatum, 195. 
Sulphurated antimony, 172. 
Sulphuret of mercury, red, 269. 
Sulphuric acid, 124. 

ether, 70. 



Sulphurous acid, 174. 
Suppositories, 38. 
Suppurants, 306. 
Sus scrofa, 326. 
Sweet flag, 160. 

orange, 162. 

spirit of nitre, 176. 
Sydenham's laudanum, 46. 
Symplocarpus fcetidus, 80. 
Syrup, 31. 

of almond, 67. 

garlic, 240. 

ginger, 159. 

gum Arabic, 314. 

iodide of iron, 114. 

ipecacuanha, 186. 

lactucarium, 48. 

orange flower, 162. 

poppies, 41. 

rhatany, 132. 

rhubarb, 204. 

aromatic, 204. 

sarsaparilla, compound, 221. 

seneka, 238. 

squill, 228. 

compound, 228, 237. 

tolu, 252. 

wild-cherry bark, 109. 
Syrups, 31. 
Syrupus, 31. 

fuscus, 330. 



Tabacum, 54. 
Tamarinds, 192. 
Tannic acid, 127. 
Tapioca, 323. 
Tar, 243. 

water, 243. 
Taraxacin, 233. 
Taraxacum, 232. 

dens-leonis, 232. 
Tartar emetic, 170, 190. 
Tartaric acid, 177. 
Tartrate of antimony and potassa, 
169. 

iron and potassa, 115. 

of potassa, 201. 

potassa and soda, 201. 
Tea, 81. 
Teaberry, 161. 

Temperament, influence of, 35. 
Terchloride of formyl, 74. 
Terebinthina, 240. 
Terra japonica, 129. 
Testa prseparata, 295. 
Tests for arsenious acid, 278. 
Thea, 81. 



358 



INDEX. 



Theobroma cacao, 327. 
Theobromia, 328. 
Thornapple, 51. 
Thoroughwort, 94. 
Thyme, 164. 
Thymus, 164. 

vulgaris, 164. 
Tinctura ferri chloridi, 114. 

opii, 45. 

opii acetata, 45. 

opii camphorata, 45. 

opii deodorata, 45. 
Tincture of aconite leaf, 61. 
root, 61. 

aloe, 207. 

and myrrh, 207. 

American hellebore, 168. 

assafetida, 78. 

belladonna, 50. 

benzoin, compound, 250. 

black hellebore, 213. 
snakeroot, 239. 

blood-root, 187. 

cantharides, 234. 

capsicum, 153. 

cardamom, 159. 

compound, 159. 

castor, 82. 

catechu, 130. 

chloride of iron, 114. 

cinnamon, 155. 

colchicum seed, 230. 

columbo, 91. 

coptis, 88. 

cranesbill, 135. 

cubeb, 246. 

foxglove, 167. 

gentian, compound, 89. 

ginger, 159. 

guaiac, 223. 

ammoniated, 223. 

hemlock, 59. 

henbane, 54. 

hops, 63. 

iodine, 272. 

compound, 272. 

jalap, 211. 

kino, 131. 

lobelia, 57. 

lupulin, 64. 

myrrh, 249. 

nutgall, 129. 

nux vomica, 180. 

opium, 45. 

acetated, 45. 
camphorated, 45. 
deodorized, 45. 

Peruvian bark, 104. 



Tincture of Peruvian bark, com- 
pound, 104. 

quassia, 86. 

rhatany, 132. 

rhubarb, 204. 

and aloes, 204. 
and gentian, 204. 
and senna, 204. 

senna and jalap, 185. 

squill, 228. 

stramonium, 52. 

Tolu, 252. 

valerian, 79. 

ammoniated, 79. 

Virginia snakeroot, 83. 

yellow jasmine, 208. 
Tincturse, 30. 
Tinctures, 30. 
Tinnivelly senna, 189. 
Tobacco, 54. 
Tolu, balsam of, 252. 
Tonics, 84. 

mineral, 110. 

vegetable, 85. 
Topical medicines, 295. 
Tormentil, 139. 
Tormentilla, 139. 
Tous les mois, 323. 
Toxicodendron, 181. 
Tragacanth, 315. 
Tragacantha, 315. 
Tragacanthin, 315. 
Tripoli senna, 208. 
Troches, 28. 

liquorice and opium, 46. 
Trochisci, 28. 

ferri carbonatis, 112. 

glycyrrhizse et opii, 46. 
Tulip-Tree, 96. 

bark, 96. 
Turkey gum, 313. 

opium, 41. 

rhubarb, 202. 
Turner's cerate, 120. 
Turpentine, 240. 

American, 240. 

Bordeaux, 241. 

Canada, 241. 

Chian, 241. 

Venice, 241. 

white, 240. 
Turpeth mineral, 269. 



Ulmus, 316. 

fulva, 316. 
Unguenta, 33. 
Unguentum adipis, 327. 



INDEX. 



359 



TJnguentuni antimonii, 172, 307. 

belladonnse, 50. 

hydrargyri, 261. 
nitratis, 269. 

iodinii, 272. 

plumbi carbonatis, 145. 
Uva ursi, 135. 



Valerian, 79. 
Valeriana, 79. 

officinalis, 79. 
Valerianate of ammonia, 79. 

quinia, 105. 

zinc, 120. 
Valerianic acid, 79. . 
Vallet's ferruginous pills, 112. 
Vapors, 34. 
Vegetable acids, 176. 
Venesection, 17. 
Vera Cruz sarsaparilla, 220. 
Veratria, 167, 168. 
Veratrum album, 168. 

sabadilla, 168. 

viride, 167. 
Verdigris, 118. 
Vermilion, 269. 
Vesicants, 301. 
Vesicating taffetas, 305. 
Vienna paste, 309. 
Vina, 31. 
Vinegar of colchicum, 230. 

lobelia, 57. 

opium, 45. 

squill, 228. 
Vinegars, 31. 
Vinum, 149. 

antimonii, 172. 

ergotse, 183. 

ipecacuanha, 186. 

opii, 46. 

Portense, 148. 

Xericum, 148. 
Virginia snakeroot, 92. 
Volatile alkali, 151. 

liniment, 151, 299. 

oils, 152. 



Warming plaster, 300. 
Warner's gout cordial, 204. 
Washed sulphur, 195. 
Water avens, 110. 

of ammonia, 150. 
Waters, 28. 
Wax, 327. 

Weights and measures, 34. 
Whiskey, 150. 



White arsenic, 278. 

ginger, 158. 

hellebore, 168. 

lead, 145. 

mustard, 206. 

oak bark, 133. 

pepper, 154. 

precipitate, 268. 

vitriol, 119. 
Wild carrot, 233. 

chamomile, 94. 

cherry bark, 108. 
Willow, 108. 
Wine, 149. 

of aloes, 207. 

colchicum root, 230. 
seed, 230. 

ergot, 183. 

ipecacuanha, 186. 

opium, 46. 

rhubarb, 204. 

white hellebore, 168. 
Wines, 31. 
Wine-whey, 149. 
Wolfsbane, 60. 
Woody nightshade, 64. 
Wormseed, 333. 
Wormwood, 96. 
Wort, 325. 



Xanthorriza, 91. 
apiifolia, 91. 



Yarrow, 98. 

Yeast, 329. 

Yellow bark, 99, 100. 

jasmine, 169. 

lady's slipper, 80. 

pine, 241. 

root, 91. 

sulphate of mercury, 269. 

wash, 263. 



Zinc, preparations of, 119. 
Zinci acetas, 119. 

carbonas prsecipitatus, 120. 

chloridum, 120, 310. 

iodidum, 273. 

oxidum, 119. 

prseparata, 119. 

sulphas, 119. 

valerianas, 120. 
Zingiber, 158. 

officinale, 158. 



2681 













n* 






°J. 



£ ^ 




«v 



.0°. 



\J 









o5 -^ 
* ^ a o-- 











•cT' ,^V 





A ° 













A^ ^ 
V> % * A^' ^ 






K°e 

± 



*>* <A-> 



A * 









*fe 




W 











N^ 



,0 O 



\ 








% 




^ * 






S\ 



^ r 



"</ 



^ ^ 









< 






"o o X 



,- 









,- 



*V cA. 



,^ ^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



BMBBBMB 
BiiBttiBBtt 

lining 

MwBR'Pfinn 
■SmHwmm 




DDDEblEfl5H7 



'WWi HIV 




KB BSsS 

K3S9f H Hh ? -$c 

■MHSoGIQ 

raffiS ■ ■ 



H wss BS£ Ha 



fipflH a llflBPiBW BB^HHVAVAh 

SWASH 

Hn ■■1 

HE S*e Sh6I EH 389 • ••' %!* 

flMalW Hra K9kH 

m HI mm 

§889 ^b8 $8K3 hBH 
n Hi 

■■HI , .r^nir-- -iVJ 

HE 

&S HH Ml BBN 



